


Affectional Experiment

by Amaratta



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 13:00:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 84,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaratta/pseuds/Amaratta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he received a New Year Card supposedly signed by Ulquiorra, suggesting that they should be friends from then onward, Grimmjow thought it was some bad joke. Little did he know that he would end up as a subject to Ulquiorra's friendship experiment which would later turn into something far more than he could ever bargain for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Grimmjow sleepily lifted his arm up to block the golden sunlight that shone through the window into his private quarters. Once again, he had to wonder if his master’s sole purpose for creating an artificial sun under the roof of the palace was to wake all Arrancars from their slumber, but since he knew better than to hope for an answer, he lazily sat up and stretched himself.

He took a moment to search for the shirt he had discarded before he went to bed, and once he found it and put it on, he got up and moved to the dresser. It was after he had styled his electric blue hair with his fingers and was about to move on to polish the remains of his Hollow mask on his right cheek that he heard someone at his door. However, instead of knocking or announcing his or her presence, that person simply slipped something under the door and walked away before Grimmjow could even think about opening the door to see who that person was.

Although he could have ignored it, for it would not go anywhere until he picked it up; his curiosity got better of him and forced him to go to the door and see what the object was and who it was from. Thus Grimmjow got on his feet and headed to where the object was.

On a closer look, the Sexta Espada of Aizen Sōsuke’s army realized that the thing was a harmless-looking envelope which was addressed to “Grimmjow Jaegerjaques-sama”. He partly wondered why someone would bother to write him a letter and slip it into his room when it would be much easier to knock on his door and speak to him face to face. However, since there was a heart symbol right behind his name on the envelope, he figured that it could be a love letter, and the sender was probably too shy to say it to him directly.

“Hmm. Why bother?” he muttered to himself. “Everyone knows I won’t mind bedding anyone, granted they ain’t too ugly.”

Rolling his cyan eyes at the thought, Grimmjow tore the envelope open. He made a face when he pulled out a card and saw a figure of a smiling blue cartoon tiger drawn in the front in a chibi style.

“Is this supposed to be funny?”

However, if he thought the cartoon was bad, he had to be astounded when he flipped the card over to see what was written in the back. Now all he could say was, “What the fuck?”

He would have checked the calendar if there were one in Hueco Mundo; however, since there were none as Hollows had no use for such a thing, he could only wonder if it was an April Fools’ Day, and it was a bad joke from someone in Las Noches.

After all, a prank was the best way to explain why he received a card which read:

Dear Grimmjow,   
Happy New Year   
We may not get along well in the past   
But let’s be friends from this year onward   
Love,   
Urukiora 

It was already hard enough to believe someone like Ulquiorra would send him a New Year greeting card, much less with such a message. And it didn’t help the matter at all when the message was written in a girly handwriting using green color pencil. To be fair, he had never seen Ulquiorra’s handwriting before, so the stoic Espada might have that kind of handwriting, but there was no way the guy would use the honorific “sama” after Grimmjow’s name even if it was to follow Japanese norms of addressing a letter. And even if those were possible, there was definitely no way that the guy would spell his own name incorrectly.

Crumpling the card in his hand, the Sexta Espada rushed out of the room. He would find the culprit behind that stupid prank and kill whoever that was. Now who should he interrogate first?

* * *

Grimmjow would have tried to sniff the envelope for the scent of the sender if he was from a canine family; however, since he was from a feline one, all he could do was to go to the place he believed everyone would go to after they left their private quarters – the kitchen. One had to eat, or in some Fraccións’ cases, cater food for their masters. Therefore, it was possible that the cook would be able to tell him who had already been awake by that time, so he could narrow down his list of suspect.

Once he got into the kitchen, the chef bowed at him before he greeted politely, “Happy New Year, Grimmjow-sama.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the Sexta Espada replied. So at least one thing about that card was not a joke. It really was a New Year’s Day. Now to his question. “Who else has come here already?”

The cook blinked. He was a bit surprised by Grimmjow’s inquiry, since all other times the Espada was there, he only asked about the menu and never about other Las Noches dwellers. However, he still knew better than to say anything back to the ruthless Espada, so he replied, “Excluding Grimmjow-sama, I believe there were Loly, Menoly, Tesra, Cuuhlhourne, one of Szayelaporro-sama’s Fraccións, Zommari-sama, and Ulquiorra-sama.”

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. “I see.”

He had already ruled out Ulquiorra, and he could say Zommari was also not a type to pull a prank on anyone. He doubted any of Szayelaporro’s Fraccións was modified to have enough brain to write or enough guts to pull something like that, so they could be ruled out as well. So that left him with Aizen’s bitches, Nnoitra’s lapdog and Barragan’s drag queen.

“Any of them acted out of ordinary?”

“No, Grimmjow-sama,” the chef replied. “Why?”

“Nothing,” said the Espada. “Now what’s on the menu?”

* * *

Since he was busy plotting how to squeeze a confession out of the culprit, Grimmjow failed to realize that a certain silver-haired Shinigami entered the kitchen and took the liberty to sit down right next to him until said Shinigami reached out for the crumpled card he left right on the table.

“Oh, so you’ve received a card, too,” the Shinigami remarked as he straightened the card up a little. “Shouldn’t you look happier?”

Grimmjow turned sharply to face Aizen’s right-hand man, Ichimaru Gin.

“What do you mean I’ve received a card too?”

“Oh, so it isn’t a New Year Card from Orihime-chan?” Gin asked. “Well, my mistake then. I assumed it was from her. I mean, the cartoon was in the same style although in my card, it was a white fox instead of a blue panther.”

Snatching the card back from the Shinigami whose smile never faltered, Grimmjow asked, “So the woman sent you a card, huh?”

“Yes, and she sent one to Aizen-taichō and Tōsen-san as well,” the former captain of the Gotei 13’s Third Division noted. “At first I thought she would only send a card to us Shinigami, but seeing that she sent you one, I guess it means she also sent a card to each Espada as well. Isn’t it nice? She’s finally stopped seeing us as her enemies.”

Grimmjow wanted to say that he doubted the woman’s intention was any good, considering she sent him a card with that kind of content, but he held his tongue. The sly Shinigami didn’t need to know everything.

With that thought, he simply chose to ask, “Did she deliver a card to you in person?”

“No, no, of course not,” Ichimaru replied. “She is still forbidden from going around the palace unsupervised. It was Ulquiorra who delivered it on her behalf. But shouldn’t you have known that already?”

The blue-haired Espada didn’t bother to reply, and it seemed Ichimaru didn’t care much for an answer because he simply turned his attention to his food.

Meanwhile, the frown on Grimmjow’s face was deepened. If he could believe in Ichimaru’s words at all, there was a chance that Ulquiorra would be involved in the plot, which didn’t really make any difference to him, except that it would be a little more difficult to kill the person who sent him the card.

* * *

At the same time, completely unaware that a certain aqua-eyed Arrancar was about to head to that place, Ulquiorra entered the room where a certain ginger-haired human girl was held captive. An unnamed Hollow wheeled a food cart in right behind him and then left quietly once he finished his task. It seemed Inoue Orihime had already been used to having someone entered her room without any prior announcement, since she no longer showed any hint of surprise or fear when he suddenly made an entrance.

In fact, the girl seemed to be chirpier than ever as she greeted him in an enthusiastic tone.

“Happy New Year, Ulquiorra-san! Have you delivered all the cards?”

“Yes,” Ulquiorra replied blandly.

The Cuarta Espada had no idea why he agreed to act as her delivery boy when his duty was only to see to it that she was alive and unharmed until Lord Aizen ordered otherwise. Perhaps he was a little interested as to why humans would do something that served very little to no purpose, like spending hours creating cards for people who would only look at it once before throwing it away.

“So what were their reactions?”

“Aizen-sama said he appreciated the gesture,” Ulquiorra remarked. “Ichimaru-sama said he now understood why you requested for those paper and color pencils. Tōsen-sama said he would appreciate it more if the card was written in braille.”

Inoue widened her eyes.

“Oh my! I always forgot that Tōsen-san is blind. I mean, he never acted like one,” she said before she shook her head. “This is really bad. I should have paid more attention to something like this. Though, I still have no idea how to write in braille. How did people in Soul Society write him a card before? Ah... I see. This must be why he hates the people in Soul Society and betrayed them. They never sent him a card. How not nice!”

Anyone else would have rolled their eyes at how the girl was babbling weird things to herself, but since it was Ulquiorra, and he didn’t have much emotion, let alone showed it, he simply ignored her weird behavior and stated, “Be sure to eat your breakfast, woman. I will be back in an hour.”

Realizing that Ulquiorra had turned and headed for the door, Inoue widened her eyes and called out, “Ah, wait, Ulquiorra-san.”

Ulquiorra stopped but did not turn around.

“You never told me about Grimmjow-san’s reaction,” she stated. “You did deliver the card to him, right?”

Now that the girl mentioned the Sexta Espada and the card, Ulquiorra had to ask himself again why he played along with her stupid idea. It was one thing to observe her optimistic idea of eliminating her enemies by turning them into her friends instead, but it was another to actually agree to test that method, using Grimmjow.

He didn’t really know what exactly was on his mind when he allowed her to personalize a card to Grimmjow and ask the man to be his friend in his behalf, but he knew he had to be completely out of his mind when he actually delivered it to the Sexta Espada’s quarters. However, just like the woman said on the day she managed to convince him, there was nothing for him to lose. His relationship or non-relationship with Grimmjow could not get any worse than it already was, and the fact that Inoue took sole responsibility in making the card meant that Ulquiorra would have a complete deniability should Grimmjow reject the idea and try to use it to blackmail him.

“I did,” Ulquiorra replied. “However, I doubt he was even up and about by the time I placed it in his room.”

“Oh,” the girl uttered, somewhat disappointed. However, she later put on a hopeful face. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out later.”

Ulquiorra nodded before he continued on his way and closed the door behind once he was out.

* * *

Although Ulquiorra was surprised to see Grimmjow leaning against the wall in the hallway near Inoue Orihime’s captive cell, he did not reveal it in his expression. In fact, he would have simply ignored the cyan-eyed Arrancar’s presence had the Sexta Espada not spoken to him first.

“You sure took your time in that bitch’s room, Ulquiorra.”

Casting his deep green eyes to the taller man, Ulquiorra asked, “And why should that be any matter to you?”

Grimmjow shrugged and then stood up straight before he replied, “It just makes me wonder what you could have been doing in there. Surely it shouldn’t have taken that long just to bring food in.”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes.

“Now you begin to sound like Nnoitra.”

Grimmjow snorted.

“Don’t compare me to that perverted bastard. I just meant to say you might have an idea about this, that’s all.”

By saying ‘this’, Grimmjow all but shoved the card he had received earlier that morning in Ulquiorra’s face. However, Ulquiorra didn’t even flinch when he gingerly took the card from Grimmjow’s hand and then examined it thoroughly.

Meanwhile the Sexta Espada carefully gauged the other Espada’s reaction and tried not to be angered by the fact that Ulquiorra acted as though he was afraid to catch some germs from touching the thing that came from him.

“It is a card,” Ulquiorra stated before he turned it to see the message on the back. Frowning slightly, he commented, “And it spells my name incorrectly.”

“Yeah, that’s the first thing I noticed too,” Grimmjow remarked in a sarcastic tone. “Now shouldn’t you act a bit more surprised?”

“Why should I be surprised that someone misspelled my name?” Ulquiorra returned in a dull tone. “It has happened far too many times that I have ceased to care.”

Grimmjow scratched his head as he couldn’t quite understand why the other Espada could stay calm in all kind of situation.

“Oi. Someone forged your name and sent me this card. You should be more upset.”

“Why? It is not as though you actually believed it was from me.”

Although Ulquiorra had his point, Grimmjow couldn’t help getting even more frustrated to the point that he wanted to bang something into the wall, preferably Ulquiorra’s head. How emotionless could one person be? Anyone would be mad to find out that their names were forged, but the Cuarta Espada still acted as though it was nothing.

“You know,” the Sexta Espada began, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “I was told that the same style of card was written to Ichimaru by that woman of yours and that you were the one who delivered it.”

Although he did expect that he would finally get some reaction from the other man, Grimmjow never expected that Ulquiorra would simply admit, “Yes, I did deliver a few cards for her this morning.”

“Oh,” Grimmjow cried. “So the fact that you didn’t show any kind of surprise isn’t because you’re that emotionless. It’s because you’re in on this prank, aren’t you?”

Grimmjow expected Ulquiorra to deny it right away or laugh at him for getting so frustrated by something as stupid as that. In fact, when he came to think about it again, he didn’t know why he had lost his composure over a small prank. It wasn’t as if he actually wanted to befriend Ulquiorra and was disappointed that the card turned out to be a bad joke from someone else.

Yet once again, Ulquiorra managed to surprise him when he stated, “It was not a prank.”

“What the fuck?”

“That woman and I are testing out a theory.”

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. “Of how to annoy me, is that it?”

“No. That woman believes that the best way to eliminate an enemy is to befriend them, but I doubt you can befriend those you dislike, so now we are testing out who is right,” the Cuarta Espada explained. “I guess now I can just tell her that her idea is too far-fetched.”

With that said, Ulquiorra turned away from Grimmjow and would have continued on his way had Grimmjow not called out, “Oi, wait a sec, Ulquiorra.”

Just like he did with Inoue, the ebony-haired Espada stopped but did not turn back. “What?”

“Even I know that you can’t expect someone to stop hating you just because you gave them one card.”

“Oh.”

“But I wouldn’t say it was a bad start.”

“I see.”

Later Grimmjow would have to wonder what had inspired him to say the line he was about to say, but it would be too late to take it back once he asked, “So, are you serious? About this experiment of yours, I mean.”

“Does it really matter?”

“Not really,” the blue-eyed man replied with a shrug.

Frowning, Ulquiorra wondered, “Then why did you ask?”

The Sexta Espada rolled his eyes up. It was difficult to explain why when he didn’t quite get his own reason at that moment. However, he chose to use the first thing that came to mind.

“Let’s just say that I’ve nothing better to do around here,” Grimmjow noted, “so I’m a bit interested to see what kind of method you’d use to make me stop hating you, that is, if you’re still going to keep on with that experiment of yours.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his thick brows for a moment before he replied, “Then you’ll have to wait and see.”

Grimmjow was a tad surprised to hear that kind of answer since he was very positive that Ulquiorra would simply call the idea ridiculous and dismiss it, so he couldn’t fight down the urge to smile. He never knew the Cuarta Espada had a competitive streak.

Grinning lopsidedly, he said, “Yeah, I’ll have to do that, won’t I?”

And with that he waved Ulquiorra goodbye and headed back to where he came from, leaving the Cuarta Espada to watch him with a strange expression.

It was difficult to say what was going on inside the head that was covered by a helmet-like mask of Ulquiorra Cifer at that moment, but regardless of what those thoughts were, there was no denying that that morning was when his experiment on friendship with Grimmjow began.


	2. Chapter 2

Ulquiorra was not quite sure what had got into him as of late. First, he allowed the human girl to convince him that it would be a good idea to try making friends out of a person who openly disliked him and let her choose Grimmjow as the primary target, and if that alone was not bad enough already, he also permitted her to make a card to the aforementioned Espada, asking to be friends, in his behalf. Then he had to go on with it and actually deliver it to the Sexta Espada’s room when he should have just called it quit. And after that, instead of denying it like he should have, he went on and revealed to Grimmjow about that little experiment.

Of course, all of that wouldn’t have mattered to him at all if he just decided to drop that experiment and rule it impossible. However, Grimmjow had to say that he was interested to see what kind of method Ulquiorra would use to make him like him. He didn’t really know if the Sexta Espada really meant it as a challenge or not, but a competitive side of him just acted up and took on the challenge by replying that Grimmjow would have to wait and see.

And because of that, there was no way for him to pull back without being mocked by said blue-haired Arrancar even though it made him feel like he had just become a pathetic lovesick woman who refused to give up even after the man she loved had turned down her confession. And he didn’t even have any idea how those lovesick people actually felt.

He wasn’t very happy about his situation, but since he couldn’t take back what had already been said and done, Ulquiorra decided he would just try to make the best out of it. And that was the reason why he returned to Inoue Orihime’s captive cell earlier than he should have.

Since he returned there earlier than he had informed the woman, he had expected that she would still be struggling to eat her breakfast; however, he had to be surprised to see that she had already done with her meal and was pacing around in the room while humming a strange tune.

Ulquiorra was not sure if the woman actually enjoyed the Hollow-styled meal or simply ate it out of fear that he would carry out the threat he had posed since the first day she was taken there and actually force feed her if she refused to eat. However, as his job was only to make sure she did not starve herself to death, Ulquiorra didn’t really care to find out about her reason for finishing the food so fast. Thus the first thing he said when he entered the room was, “What do human usually do in order to make friends?”

“Huh?” was her initial response. However, since Inoue wasn’t stupid despite how wild her imagination could be at times, she managed to understand what Ulquiorra was talking about after a few seconds. “Oh, so you mean, Grimmjow-san agreed to be your friends? See? I told you it’d work!”

“He didn’t agree to anything,” Ulquiorra said, correcting Inoue’s misunderstanding. “He simply said he was interested to see what kind of method I would use to befriend him.”

“Oh,” the ginger-haired girl cried, disappointment evident in her tone. However, her expression turned hopeful when she continued, “But that’s still a start, right? I mean, it could have gone so much worse.”

“Worse?” Ulquiorra repeated after the girl in surprise. “I thought you said it was possible to befriend anyone, including one’s enemies, should one put one’s mind to it.”

The girl gave her guard a sheepish smile.

“Well, I did,” she noted in a meek tone, “but I never said it’d be easy.”

Frowning slightly, the green-eyed Espada replied, “I figured as much. Now what is your answer?”

Inoue blinked for a couple of times as she tried to recall what Ulquiorra’s question really was. It was a good thing that her memory was quite good despite how many people saw her as an airhead, so she didn’t have to take long to answer.

“What do people do to make friends?” Inoue repeated the question. “Well, I guess we start by breaking the ice.”

“Break the ice?”

The woman nodded in earnest.

“I see.”

The well-endowed teen expected more questions to come from her stoic warden, yet the Espada did not speak another word about that subject. Instead, he glanced over to the food trolley and changed the subject.

“I see you’ve finished eating, so I will tell someone to bring that out,” Ulquiorra noted. “I’ll come back to check on you again later.”

Somehow feeling a little brave, Orihime decide to speak as Ulquiorra headed for the door, “Well, then, Ulquiorra-san, if you want to know more about how people make friends, please feel free to come by and ask.”

Seeing how the emotionless Espada stopped walking, Inoue flinched as she realized she might have offended him by offering him an advice on such a basic matter. She was certain that Ulquiorra was smart and only asked that question because he wanted to compare the differences between how people made friends and how Hollows did it, not because he didn’t really know how to make friends.

“Umm... not that I think you actually need my help or anything,” she added quickly.

Ignoring what the woman said, Ulquiorra continued walking. However, instead of leaving, the ebony-haired Arrancar paused by the threshold.

“By the way, woman,” he stated, “you misspelled my name.”

And with that, he left and closed the door behind in a loud bang.

* * *

Ulquiorra had a thoughtful look on his face as he walked away from Inoue’s room. He always hated it when there was something that he did not understand, and that “breaking the ice” thing was one of them. However, since it was supposed to be something very simple, he couldn’t bear to sound stupid in front of the woman who was nothing more than just a hostage and ask her how he was supposed to do that.

It was probably very simple to break some ices in the human world, since that world contained a lot of water. However, they were in Hueco Mundo, and it was almost impossible to find a drop of water in the endless desert of the realm, let alone an ice. And how could breaking some ices be of any help in starting a friendship anyway? Was it some kind of strange human ritual that a Hollow would never understand? But no matter what it was supposed to mean for humans, it was still very hot in Las Noches during the time the artificial sun rose above the dome, so breaking some ices might not be too bad an idea, which meant that it would not hurt to try it out.

Now all he needed to do was finding a source of water, making some ices and then breaking them.

The thought of water brought Ulquiorra to the private quarters where the sole female Espada, Tia Harribel, shared with her three Fraccións. After he knocked on the door and waited for a moment, he was greeted by a dark-skinned female with thick wavy brown hair and green eyes, Mila Rose.

The amazonian seemed surprised to see the Espada at the door, but she got over it quickly and asked, “What’s your business?”

While the question sounded somewhat rude coming from a lower ranking Arrancar, Ulquiorra chose to ignore it since he had a favor to ask from the Tercera Espada, and things could go ugly if he were to do something to her Fracción.

“I have something to discuss with Harribel,” he replied.

“I’ll inform Harribel-sama. Just wait there.”

And with that, Mila Rose closed the door in Ulquiorra face, knowing that the Cuarta Espada wouldn’t do anything to her as long as she was still under her master’s protection.

It didn’t take long until the door was opened again, and this time the woman led him to the terrace where Harribel sat and had her breakfast while watching the view of the desert inside Las Noches.

“Good morning, Ulquiorra,” the woman with blond hair greeted. Unlike how she usually appeared in public, Harribel’s coat was unzipped to reveal the gruesome jaw and the bone bras that were the remnants of her Hollow mask. It was a rare sight, since the lady preferred to cover half of her face and her top with that coat, but Ulquiorra knew better than to comment on it or even look anywhere lower than her eyes. “Mila Rose said you had some business with me?”

“Yes, but perhaps I should come back after you finish your breakfast.”

“That’s alright, I don’t mind. Just take a seat.” The woman gestured to an unoccupied chair across the table to the one she was seated. Once she saw that Ulquiorra did, she asked, “So what’s your business, Ulquiorra?”

“I heard that your Resurrección, Tiburón, had a power to create and manipulate water.”

“Yes, that is correct. What about it?”

“I’m in need for ices, so I’m wondering if you can provide me with some,” Ulquiorra replied.

“Sorry, Ulquiorra. I’d love to help, but I’m afraid I can’t create ice with my power,” Harribel remarked. “But if it’s just water that you want, we have quite a lot of that in store since Aizen-sama usually sends someone over to get water to make his afternoon tea. Is one bucket enough?”

“More than enough.”

Hearing the answer from the man who was one rank below hers, Harribel nodded and beckoned the nearest Fracción to come in. “Sung-sun, please get one bucket of water for Ulquiorra, and tell me when it’s ready.”

“Yes, Harribel-sama.”

After Sung-sun had left to do as she was ordered, Harribel turned her attention back to Ulquiorra and asked, “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you in need for some ices?”

Since he believed he owed the lady at least an explanation, he replied, “I’m going to break them.”

“Break them? Does it mean you are making kakigōri?” Harribel wondered. “I never knew you like eating dessert.”

Once the wielder of Tiburón mentioned the word kakigōri, things began to make a little more sense to Ulquiorra. Said desert was made from shaved ice, flavored with syrup and some condensed milked. As far as he was concerned, it was popular in the human world. Therefore, it was possible that when Inoue Orihime spoke of breaking ice, she meant making the dessert and share it those you wanted to befriend, which might not be a bad start, except that it was a little inconvenient to do so in Hueco Mundo.

* * *

How Ulquiorra planned to finish the rest of his task remained mystery until Aizen woke up with a start in the next day. Living with a bunch of savage Arrancars was definitely not the most quiet and peaceful lifestyle, but he had managed to keep orders in Las Noches so far, so it was very rare that someone would just cause a commotion, especially by that time of the day.

Since he would like to portray himself as a calm and forgiving leader, the rogue Shinigami waited for a moment to see if the noise would stop without his interference. However, the sound kept repeating itself afterward, so Aizen abandoned the idea of going back to sleep and decided to get out of his bed and see if the palace was invaded by Thor.

It wasn’t long until the master of Las Noches followed the sound to the main kitchen and saw exactly what happened. What he saw made him believe that he was, in fact, still asleep and everything was just one of the weirdest dreams he had ever had, for he refused to believe that he actually saw his most obedient Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, in a kitchen, smashing a huge chunk of ice with his zanpakutō.

After having stood at the threshold and watched the Cuarta Espada’s actions for a moment, Aizen cleared his throat to announce his presence.

Anyone else would have been embarrassed to be caught doing something completely out of character, but to Ulquiorra’s credit, he simply turned to where his master was and bowed gracefully at the man.

“Good morning, Aizen-sama. It is rare for you to come and get breakfast for yourself.”

“Good morning, Ulquiorra,” Aizen replied, suppressing his curiosity well. “May I inquire what you are doing?”

Ulquiorra turned his attention back to the huge block of ice in his hand for a moment before he turned his eyes back to his master.

“I am breaking the ice.”

Although Aizen loved to think that nothing in all realms was beyond his understanding, it still escaped him what Ulquiorra was really planning.

“Breaking the ice?”

“Yes, Aizen-sama,” Ulquiorra replied. “The human girl suggested that it was a human’s first step in befriending others.”

Even though the former captain of the Gotei 13’s Fifth Division believed that Inoue Orihime didn’t mean it in a literal way, he chose not to mention that fact to his faithful subordinate and simply asked, “And who is it that you are trying to befriend, Ulquiorra?”

“Grimmjow.”

The answer made Aizen come to realize how very little he knew about his subordinates; however, since he couldn’t afford to show that he was surprised by anything, he simply observed, “Hmm... and I thought you find him bothersome at the very least.”

“I can assure you that you not wrong about that assumption, Aizen-sama,” Ulquiorra stated. “However, I am doing this so I can prove whether we can really be friends with those we hate and hate us in return as that woman claimed.”

Once he heard the explanation, Aizen believed it was either his subordinate was very bored and had to find something to do before the war began or Ulquiorra was actually a tsundere type and chose to act hostile toward everyone to cover up his lovey-dovey side. Either way, it sounded like it would be interesting to watch.

“I see,” Aizen nodded. “And what exactly are you planning to do with that ice you are breaking? Making an ice sculpture?”

Ulquiorra thought about it for a moment. An ice sculpture would also be nice as a gift, but it would melt very soon under Las Noches’s sun. Besides, it required some artistic skill to create such a thing, and even if he did possess such a skill, he doubted someone like Grimmjow would understand, let alone appreciate, fine arts.

“Actually I’m planning to make kakigōri,” Ulquiorra replied.

“Shaved ice? Well, I suppose nothing can go wrong with food,” Aizen noted. “Keep going then, Ulquiorra.”

“Thank you for your encouragement, Aizen-sama.”

“Don’t mention it,” the Shinigami replied. “By the way, have you decided what flavor to use for your dessert?”

“Ichimaru-sama suggested that I use Blue Hawaii syrup and green apple syrup, so the color would be blue and green, representing Grimmjow and I,” Ulquiorra stated. From his expression, Aizen believed the Arrancar didn’t quite get how those colors represented them. “Since I don’t have a better idea, I think I will follow his advice.”

Aizen tried his best not to laugh. Knowing Gin, he wasn’t sure if the man meant well when he made that suggestion. He, for one, believed that Grimmjow would more likely be crept out by the gesture than to be grateful. The thought made him eager to see the Sexta Espada’s reaction, but instead of showing his interest, Aizen decided it would be best to retreat to his room and watch everything through one of many monitors in the surveillance system. Once again those secret cameras he planted all around the palace proved to be very handy.

“Well then I won’t disturb you any longer, Ulquiorra,” Aizen noted. “Good luck with your plan.”

And with that Aizen left Ulquiorra to his own device once again.

* * *

It seemed the last person who had a clue about Ulquiorra’s little scheme in “breaking the ice” was Grimmjow himself. Unlike the day before when he got all flustered over a simple card, that day the Sexta Espada had taken his time in the morning for his grooming. Since he didn’t see Ulquiorra again after he ambushed the guy in front of Inoue Orihime’s room, he thought Ulquiorra might have already come to his senses and stopped with his ridiculous plan to befriend him.

Therefore, Grimmjow didn’t expect that Ulquiorra would be in the kitchen, waiting for his arrival. For some reasons, the chef could not be seen anywhere in that room, and all other Arrancar that usually gathered there for breakfast at that time were also nowhere in sight. Therefore, there were only he, the Cuarta Espada and that suspicious-looking blue and green shaved ice in the kitchen.

Anyone else would have turned and greeted the person whom they wanted to befriend with a smile, but that would be too much to expect from the apathetic Espada (not that Grimmjow would actually expect anything from Ulquiorra to begin with). However, Grimmjow still had to note that it was the first time that Ulquiorra actually turned around and greeted him when the guy usually just ignored his presence even though they always sat opposite one another in an Espada meeting table.

“Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra greeted in his usual emotionless tone. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Why?” was his most natural response.

“I believe you are not a goldfish, so you should be able to remember what I told you yesterday.”

A grimace appeared on the blue-haired man’s face. “And here I thought you’ve already given up on that stupid thought.”

“I am not a type to give up without a fight, Sexta,” Ulquiorra noted. “Now back on the topic, I’ve made this for you.”

By saying “this,” Ulquiorra motioned to the big bowl of shaved ice on the kitchen table.

“And that’s supposed to make me want to be your friend because...?”

Ulquiorra knitted his thick black brows. “The woman said it was a human’s first step in making friends.”

“Well, in case you didn’t notice, Ulquiorra, we ain’t human,” Grimmjow remarked. “That aside, why is that thing in blue and green?”

“Because Ichimaru-sama said it would give a nice message,” the Cuarta Espada explained.

Now Grimmjow turned to stare at the smaller Espada in disbelief.

“You told Ichimaru about this stupid plan of yours?”

“And also Aizen-sama,” Ulquiorra added. “Why, Grimmjow? Were you under an impression that I was going to keep this project a secret?”

Grimmjow felt like banging his head into the nearest wall, but since he was a sadist, not a masochist, he decided against doing so.

“Who else knows about this?”

“Does it matter?” Ulquiorra replied as if he couldn’t care less about it, which in fact, he really could not. “It is not as if we have an illicit affair or anything.”

Since he didn’t really know what would be a perfect comeback to that, the Sexta Espada only growled in frustration.

Seeing so, Ulquiorra frowned again before he eyed the shaved ice that already began to melt. It looked like the plan really did not work, which meant that he would have to find a new one.

“Very well then, if you’re not going to eat it, then I’ll just throw it away,” Ulquiorra concluded. “It’s just trash anyway.”

Also eyeing the dessert, Grimmjow couldn’t help thinking that it wouldn’t be too bad to eat it, especially when it was really hot that day in Hueco Mundo. However, he would never actually say it to Ulquiorra and give that man a satisfaction that he had done something right.

“What the fuck is with you and calling everything trash?” the Sexta Espada wondered.

“And why can’t I call it trash?” Ulquiorra returned, dubious. “I made that dessert for you, so if you refused to eat it, then it serves no purpose. When something has no purpose, it is worthless, and worthless things are trash.”

If the line was spoken by anyone else in that kind of situation, it would have been dripped with sarcasm. However, since it was said by Ulquiorra, the Sexta Espada could tell that the man was simply being honest and rational, which somehow gave him another urge to bang his head against the wall.

With an exasperated sigh, Grimmjow asked, “When the hell did I say I’m not going to eat it?”

“Oh?” Ulquiorra said, lifting an eyebrow.

That cocky reaction made Grimmjow regret having said anything at all. He might want to eat that dessert, but he would rather die than to let Ulquiorra think even for a second that he won and Grimmjow actually wanted something that he made. Therefore, he had to add, “Let’s clear something up first, Ulquiorra.”

“What is it?”

“I’m only gonna eat it because I hate it when you treat everything like trash and because it’s a waste to throw away food, not because I want anything that comes from you.”

“Fair enough.”

“Good! So we have an understanding.”

Ulquiorra shrugged as if he didn’t care either way and then left the kitchen without parting words. It wasn’t long after the Cuarta Espada had left the kitchen that the chef returned to his post and other Arrancars began walking in.

Staring at the absurdly huge bowl of blue and green shaved ice, Grimmjow once again wondered if Ulquiorra really did try to be friendly. Although the gesture was kind of nice, the guy could be trying to mess with his head, or worse, put some poison in the dessert.

The last thought made Grimmjow hesitate to dig in, so he looked around the kitchen to find someone or something that could serve as a guinea pig. Hearing a bark, he looked down and saw the small Hollow mutt that Yammy kept as a pet. He didn’t know when it got inside the kitchen or what it was doing so far away from where it should be, but since he and that dog were never fond of each other to begin with, he decided it would be the best test subject.

With that thought, the Sexta Espada grinned evilly and scooped a spoonful of ice up and placed it on the floor before the dog, which didn’t seem to question the blue-haired Espada’s intention at all when it happily licked the ice and then wagged its tail as if to ask for more.

After he waited for a moment and saw that the dog didn’t roll over and die, Grimmjow decided it was safe enough to eat. It didn’t taste too bad. However, he had to say it would be much better if the dessert was made by someone who actually put a heart into it instead of by someone who couldn’t care less if it would be liked or thrown away.


	3. Chapter 3

Grimmjow believed Ulquiorra had deliberately been harassing him. Although he didn’t really enjoy being looked down on by said emerald-eyed Espada, he was still comfortable with the fact that they shared mutual hatred. He was content with it, believing that it was something he could trust to remain unchanged – like how the crescent moon never set in Hueco Mundo or how the artificial sun always rose from the east wing of Las Noches. However, the Cuarta Espada dared to change it by choosing him as a friend candidate and doing everything in his power to be his friend.

Some might say that he should have been proud that someone really wanted to be his friend that he had tried that hard, but Grimmjow didn’t really think anyone could feel proud if they were caught in his situation.

Of course, the Sexta Espada had thought Ulquiorra’s experiment was funny at the beginning, and he even felt a little curious what kind of method the guy would use. However, after several days had passed, he wished he hadn’t expressed any interest in the first place. Who would have thought the emotionless Espada would be so persistent and keep approaching him daily with new ideas? And it didn’t help the matter when all other Las Noches dwellers knew about that scheme and encouraged the slender man by giving him new ideas (usually wicked ones) and then watching the whole development with an amused look on their faces.

He had been a tad angry and a little exasperated by Ulquiorra’s daily attempt at first, but after a few days had passed, he became weary of it instead. And now that it had been almost two weeks, the fearless cerulean-eyed Espada found himself dread the morning, for it was the time when Ulquiorra would come and rap his door four times and should Grimmjow came to answer, he would try out whatever idea he thought was a good way to befriend Grimmjow.

And as if on a cue, the door was knocked exactly four times, making the Sexta Espada jump slightly. Although he could have just ignored the door and made Ulquiorra believe he wasn’t there, Grimmjow became frustrated by the fact that the Cuarta Espada had made him contemplate on running away so he growled and darted to the door before he violently pulled it open.

“I don’t want wool yarns, bell collars, feather ticklers, crinkle balls, machine mouses, catnip or any other fucking cat toys! I’m  _not_  a cat for crying out loud. I’m a goddamn panther. PANTHER. Got that?”

As expected, the slender Arrancar with deep green eyes and ebony hair was standing in front of his door. This time he was holding a carton of milk and a can of tuna. He didn’t even have enough time to wonder in which part of Hueco Mundo endless dessert the Cuarta Espada found those things when Ulquiorra gave him an unblinking stare and observed, “A panther may be big, but it is still a cat nonetheless.”

The comment rendered Grimmjow speechless for a moment since he couldn’t quite choose a word from his wide rage of insult vocabularies that would be suitable for that situation. Therefore, all he did was glaring at the man before him with malice.

Ulquiorra either didn’t see it or didn’t care because he simply took the chance that Grimmjow didn’t give him any comeback to continue, “But perhaps wild cats and domestic cats have different preferences after all.”

Although he should have been furious, all Grimmjow felt at that moment was a headache. Sometimes that Espada really lacked social skills that it hurt. Now he wasn’t sure what Ulquiorra was trying to get with that remark, and to be honest, he would rather not find out since there was a chance that the answer would give him yet another migraine.

“Jeez, Ulquiorra, must you think of everything in a stereotypical way?” Grimmjow asked wearily. “I really hate it that when people learn that I came from a feline family, they automatically assume that I like something stupid like cat’s toys. Heck, there even was someone that thought they’d be able to win me over if they just scratch my chin or pet my head. I mean, what the fuck? I’m not some stupid harmless domestic kitten, dammit!”

After he finished his line, Grimmjow eyed Ulquiorra again and saw that the smaller man was frowning. He didn’t have much time to think, so he reacted instinctively and held the milk carton and the tuna can that Ulquiorra suddenly shoved to his chest as he said, “Hold these.”

Grimmjow blinked slightly as he wondered why Ulquiorra wanted him to hold those things when he thought he had clearly expressed that he didn’t want to be associated with domestic cats. Then he was almost scared to see Ulquiorra use his then free hands to pull a pen and a small notebook out of his hakama pocket.

Flipping through pages, Ulquiorra looked for a certain line and then crossed it off with his pen once he found it.

Leaning over to peek into the notebook, Grimmjow was astounded to see what was crossed out.

“Shit! You actually thought about scratching my chin or petting me on the head?” he asked, trying his best not to shiver. “And how the hell did you come up with this list anyway?”

“They are everyone’s speculations on what you are supposed to like,” Ulquiorra explained. “So far, none of these ideas worked.”

The Sexta Espada wouldn’t even bother to wonder who exactly “everyone” was, since at that point, he believed all Las Noches residents were ganging up on him. They would just feed Ulquiorra with the most wicked idea they could think of, knowing that someone with very little to no social skills like Ulquiorra would try all ideas out, and then they would hide in a dark corner somewhere, waiting to laugh at Grimmjow’s misery.

“Of course, they wouldn’t work,” Grimmjow said with a sigh. He could take his frustration out on Ulquiorra, but it wouldn’t be any different from yelling at a statue. That slender man in front of him probably didn’t get why Grimmjow was so pissed when everything he did so far was out of good intentions. “I mean, there’s no way you or those people would know what I like or don’t like better than me.”

Ulquiorra seemed to agree with Grimmjow’s logic as he nodded.

“You certainly have a point,” he remarked. “Well then, since we’re already at it, what do you like?”

Grimmjow blinked. “You really wanna know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise,” the raven-haired Arrancar noted. “So what’s your answer?”

Seeing how serious the other party was about his inquiry, the Sexta Espada knew he had to choose his answer carefully. Although he was, and would continue to be, disinclined to help the lithe Espada with the so-called friendship experiment, he didn’t want to deal with any more peculiar moves from the green-eyed Espada. It was bad enough for his sanity as it already was.

“Fine, I’ll answer that, but just so you know, Ulquiorra, I’m only gonna tell you just so you’d stop with those weird attempts,” Grimmjow stated. “I still don’t wanna help you or be friends with you.”

“Alright.”

The Sexta Espada sighed before he rolled his eyes up as if to search for the best answer.

“Well, the first thing you need to know if you wanna be my friend is I don’t like being bugged in the morning,” said Grimmjow, “so stop coming here, knocking on my door every freaking day.”

Grimmjow was surprised to see that Ulquiorra actually wrote it down in that notebook, but he figured it was possibly a good sign, since the Cuarta Espada remarked, “That is manageable.”

“Alright, then I like to be treated with respect, but if that’s too much to ask, at least stop referring to me as ‘trash’ or ‘garbage’ or whatever word you use to insult people.”

To that remark, Ulquiorra frowned slightly, but he wrote it down anyway before he said, “I’ll try.”

Once again, the Sexta Espada blinked in surprise.

“You really are serious about this ‘making friends’ shit, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Ulquiorra replied plainly. “So what else do I need to know?”

Grimmjow was about to open his mouth and gave Ulquiorra more information to work with, but he stopped himself before he actually said it aloud. He might want to keep his sanity intact, but he didn’t want to spell everything out to Ulquiorra either. After all, he still didn’t trust Ulquiorra all that much. The man might have said that he wanted to be friends then, but who knew what he could do with all the information later when he was bored with being friends and chose to return to being his opposition again?

“Well, if you really wanna know, you’re gonna have to find that out yourself coz I sure as hell won’t spell everything out for you.”

“And how should I do that?”

Grimmjow sighed and banged his head against the door frame. After everything that had been said and done in the past weeks, Grimmjow should no longer be surprised by how tactless Ulquiorra could be when it came to human (or in their case, Arrancar) relation, but somehow the man still managed to do so every now and again.

“In the most traditional way – via observation. That’s not too beneath you, right? Watching other people’s habits?” Grimmjow replied. After he said so, the Sexta Espada came to think that it sounded as if he wanted the other man’s attention, so he quickly added, “Not that I really want that much attention from you or that I want you to stalk me.”

“I would not assume that you do,” Ulquiorra stated before he changed the subject. “Now, I’ll just take those back.”

By saying “those”, the green-eyed Espada smoothly pulled the milk carton and the tuna from Grimmjow’s hold, making the latter man frown as he just realized he had been holding the thing for all the conversation.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Grimmjow protested, snatching the things before Ulquiorra could actually get them back. “I thought they were for me.”

Ulquiorra eyed those two things for a moment.

“They were. After all, according to Aizen-sama, milk and tuna are cats’ favorite food. However, since you said you didn’t like anything that could associate you to domestic cats, I believe I should take them back with me,” Ulquiorra stated blandly. “If you’re worried that they’ll be thrown away, don’t. I agree that it is a waste to throw away food, so I will give them to Yammy. That man will eat anything anyway. Now I shall leave so that you will no longer feel that you are being ‘bugged’. Goodbye, Grimmjow.”

With that, Ulquiorra spun around in a swift movement that made the tail of his coat swirl in the air and left Grimmjow to stare after him, blinking. The Sexta Espada was still unsure what to make off that morning, but he decided not to ponder too much on it, since it would only serve to give him another headache.

Scratching the back of his neck, the aqua-eyed Espada stepped out of his room and closed the door behind. He would think about how to deal with Ulquiorra later. Now that the morning ordeal was over, he should head straight to the main kitchen and get something for breakfast before his stomach could betray how he began to regret not accepting the food the Cuarta Espada had offered him.

* * *

“Now that was some development.”

The comment came from a silver-haired Shinigami whose smile was unceasing, Ichimaru Gin. He was standing in front of a huge monitor, watching the whole conversation between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra from a control room next to where his other accomplice, Tōsen Kaname stood.

“Grimmjow usually just closed the door in Ulquiorra’s face once he saw what Ulquiorra got with him, but this time they actually talked.”

“It’s strange,” Tōsen observed. “I thought for sure Grimmjow would enjoy being scratched on the chin, but perhaps I should not have believed Komamura about how to pet a cat. After all, he is a dog.”

“Nah, Komamura-san ain’t wrong. Grimmjow is just a weird kitty,” Gin observed. “What do you think, Aizen-taichō?”

With that question, the two Shinigami’s attentions were turned to their boss, Aizen Sōsuke. The man knew how the whole universe operated, or at least he acted like he did, so his answer should be able to clear things up somewhat.

The master of Las Noches didn’t reply right away, but he chose to pick up a remote control and press a button to turn off the monitor so it turned back into a dull-looking wall first. Then he smiled his trademarked gentle-yet-evil smile and replied, “I would say that Grimmjow is just trying to act tough. Perhaps he believes he would not be respected if he admitted to liking those cute things.”

“Oh, I see,” Gin said with a nod, “He’s keeping up an image. Well, I feel a little sorry for him. It’s gotta be tough pretending to be something he’s not.”

Even though the silver-haired Shinigami said that he felt sorry for the blue-haired subordinates, he still didn’t look it with his everlasting smile. In fact, his smile looked even more wicked than ever.

“Well, we all know what that feels like, don’t we?” Aizen remarked with a smile, recalling the last hundred years he spent in Soul Society.

“By the way, Aizen-sama,” Tōsen interjected after having listened to the conversation for a while, “are you certain that this can be allowed to continue?”

Since it was rare for his blind subordinate to express a concern over such a trivial matter, the lord of Las Noches had taken a moment to consider the answer.

“Well, it is true that this whole thing is a little too fun than it should be allowed,” the brown-haired Shinigami replied in a gentle tone. “However, there is no reason for me to forbid it as long as it doesn’t affect their performance in work. Besides, it might be better for the whole picture if they can get along a little better. Don’t you think so, Kaname?”

The Shinigami with dark skin and dreadlocks hair nodded.

“If neither of them loses their mind first,” Tōsen added.

The brown-haired lord smiled at the thought. Indeed, it looked like the Sexta Espada could snap at any moment. However, it was not like he was the sanest one of the Espadas to begin with, so Aizen didn’t think it would make much difference.

“I doubt Grimmjow can get any more insane than he already is, but should it really come to pass, there are still many Arrancars who would be more than willing to take his place, so you shouldn’t concern yourself over such a trivial matter, Kaname.”

Once again, Tōsen nodded.

“If you put it that way, I suppose it is fine to let them do as they please for now,” the blind man stated. “Now if you would excuse me, Aizen-sama, I just recall that I have yet to feed Wonderweiss today.”

“Oh, you’d better not make him wait then,” Aizen replied, knowing just how loud Wonderweiss’s moaning and howling could be when something was not to his liking. After all, that was the only way that kid could express himself.

Getting a permission to leave, the blind Shinigami bowed at his leader before he turned around and got out of the control room. Once he heard that the door was closed, Aizen turned to the other subordinate that still remained in the room with him.

“And you, Gin? Don’t you have something else to do as well?” Aizen asked. “Or are you planning something wicked again?”

Gin was still smiling as he shook his head, “Nah, I ain’t planning anythin’, Aizen-taichō.”

“Really?” Aizen asked, unconvinced.

“Of course,” the fox face Shinigami replied. “Now why did you have to assume that I was?”

“Because I know you, Gin,” Aizen stated. “You can’t help yourself when it comes to pulling a prank.”

“I’m offended,” the subordinate remarked, although he didn’t really look it with his everlasting smile. “Anyway, I’ll excuse myself too, Aizen-taichō.”

With that, the silver-haired man made his way out of the control room. Once Aizen was certain that no one else was there with him, the man reached for the remote control then used it to change the channel randomly, searching for some other event that might make a dull day in Las Noches more entertaining.

* * *

A pinked-haired Espada, Szayelaporro Granz, raised his head slightly to see above a huge glass tube that contained some weird-looking yellow liquid once he heard someone walking into his lab. He was no longer surprised to see that his visitor was none other than the slender Espada with black hair and green eyes, Ulquiorra Cifer, for the Cuarta Espada had visited his lab several times since that day he came asking for some space in the lab’s freezer to make an ice and Szayelaporro allowed it just to see what Ulquiorra was planning.

It surprised him to learn that the Cuarta Espada had a plan to befriend someone, and it was even more astounding when he found out that said someone was Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, for he couldn’t recall the time those two acted friendly towards each other.

‘It is an experiment,’ was Ulquiorra’s explanation. ‘I want to see if it is possible to befriend an enemy.’

‘Oh, so that’s why you chose Grimmjow as your test subject,’ Szayelaporro remembered himself saying. ‘He seems most hostile with you compare to all other Espadas.’

Ulquiorra nodded. ‘So you notice that too, Szayelaporro?’

‘Oh, please, something like that doesn’t need to take a genius to tell,’ the Octava Espada replied, suppressing the urge to roll his yellow eyes. ‘But anyway, you’ve made the right decision to come to me for help. Then again, who else can be more perfect to give you some advice on your experiment than a topnotch scientist?’

‘That may be true, but I don’t think you’re an expert when it comes to relationship,’ the Cuarta Espada remarked.

Szayelaporro hissed, offended. So what if he thought of his idiotic of a brother as an expendable test subject and kept Fraccións only as quick, portable healing medicines? It wasn’t like the Cuarta Espada ever had any personal relationship with anyone, so for him to criticize about the Octava Espada’s expertise in relationship would be like the pot calling the kettle black.

‘Then why the hell did you come to my lab?’ the pink-haired Espada inquired.

‘I just heard that you lab had the best facilities in Las Noches,’ Ulquiorra stated. ‘So I wonder if you can provide me with something.’

Szayelaporro almost said no to the request since he was still offended by Ulquiorra’s earlier comment; however, a part of him was curious as to what Ulquiorra was planning.

‘Well, try me...’

Later the black-haired Espada started frequenting his lab to ask for something that he couldn’t find anywhere in Hueco Mundo, like some mechanical toys for cats, which Szayelaporro agreed to create some for the man. It was not because he had nothing to do, for he had many; but it was because he could imagine what kind of look a certain electric-blue-haired Espada would have on his face when he received those things, and that alone was enough to make his day.

“Good morning, Ulquiorra,” Szayelaporro greeted once their eyes met. “What can I get you this time?”

“I’m not here for anything.”

“So you’re saying you’re just here for a friendly visit?” the self-proclaimed perfect scientist replied. “Isn’t Grimmjow the one you’re supposed to be friends with?”

“I’ve already paid him a visit earlier,” the man with deep emerald eyes replied. “So I’m here to tell you that the laser toy I asked you to make the other day will no longer be required.”

“Why? Has Grimmjow accepted to be your friend already?” the pink-haired man asked, genuinely surprised. In fact, judging from all the things Ulquiorra had asked him to provide earlier, he was surprised Grimmjow had yet to try to kill the Cuarta Espada or whoever it was that put those ideas to Ulquiorra’s helmet head.

“No, he has not. It just appears that Grimmjow does not enjoy that type of toy,” the Cuarta Espada stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “So I will change my strategy and try something else instead.”

“Like what? Adult toys?” Szayelaporro asked as wicked thoughts entered his mind. Ulquiorra could be very gullible when it came to certain stuff, so he doubted the guy knew anything about that type of toy, which meant that if he pitched the sale right, there was a chance that the Cuarta Espada would buy it to give to Grimmjow. And whether Grimmjow was into that sort of thing or not, his reaction would certainly be fun to watch. “That’s a nice thought, Ulquiorra. Come to think about it, Grimmjow does look like a type to enjoy them. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it if you buy him some.”

As he suspected, the Cuarta Espada didn’t look like he had any clue what he was offering, and he even confirmed it when he replied, “I never knew that there are also toys for adults.”

“Of course, there are. They’re just not the same type as ones for children and pets,” the Octava Espada remarked before he forged a serious look on his face even though he was about to burst out laughing when he continued, “Normally adult toys aren’t meant to be ‘played’ by one person, so maybe you really should get some and ask Grimmjow if he wanted to play with you. It would be a nice way to create a bond between the two of you, I’m sure.”

Much to Szayelaporro’s disappointment, Ulquiorra shook his head.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ve already decided not to make any new move until I’m done observing him.”

“Oh, in that case, are you interested in surveillance cameras? Just place some in his room and you’ll be able to see his every move without him knowing,” the pink-haired scientist suggested. He might not be able to see what kind of expression Grimmjow would have if Ulquiorra really presented the man with those toys and invited him to play together, but this new plan might not be too bad either. “Well, come to think about it, we might have problems installing it in his quarters, but of course, there’re also surveillance insects which can follow him around all day, granted he doesn’t squash them first.”

Ulquiorra appeared to be considering it, but then he shook his head.

“No, I think I’ll find my own way,” said the black-haired Espada.

“Okay, then let me know when you need my help,” Szayelaporro said with a wicked gleam in his yellow eyes.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ulquiorra returned. “Thank you, Szayelaporro. I’ll be off now.”

With that Ulquiorra turned around and left the Octava Espada’s laboratory, not paying any heed to any of those ugly creatures that the pink-haired man kept as Fraccións.

Now that Ulquiorra had given the milk and the tuna away to Yammy and canceled the laser toy order with Szayelaporro, all that was left to do that day about his friendship experiment with Grimmjow was going back to his room and reviewing the notes he had taken then planing out a new strategy to befriend the Sexta Espada.

Although he was far from being an optimist, something deep down told him things might actually work out for the better after that day.


	4. Chapter 4

While he had to admit that he had failed to notice several things about Grimmjow until he started observing the Sexta Espada more closely, one of the things that never escaped Ulquiorra’s knowledge before was the fact that the Sexta Espada never paid much attention to anything that was discussed in any Espada meetings. Having been seated across to the blue-haired Espada during those occasions was enough for the Cuarta Espada to know Grimmjow’s bad habits by heart, and as far as he was concerned, the Sexta Espada would either let his mind drifted off elsewhere or start kicking at Ulquiorra’s chair out of boredom.

Therefore, Ulquiorra was very impressed when Grimmjow managed to behave himself in the meeting that was currently taking place and kept his cerulean eyes focused on Aizen during the whole time and not even glanced to his direction once. Although he didn’t know what brought about the change, he couldn’t care less, as he was pleased that for once he could listen to all Aizen had to say without being distracted by Grimmjow’s childish behavior, so he turned his emerald eyes back to his master.

“...we still have some edges over Soul Society in the upcoming war, but even so, it will give us more advantages if we can find a few strong warriors to join our side in the place of our fallen comrades,” Aizen stated in his soft, gentle tone, from his seat at the head of the meeting table. “Now since you were responsible for their demises in one way or another, I believe you should be in charge of this mission, Grimmjow.”

Ulquiorra glanced toward Grimmjow, expecting to see a disgruntled look from said Espada. If there were anything he learned from all the time he had spent observing the Sexta Espada, it was that Grimmjow didn’t like to be reminded of his failure and that the man was still very much obsessed with killing the hybrid human, Kurosaki Ichigo.

Much to Ulquiorra and all other Espada’s surprises, Grimmjow didn’t show any sign that he was displeased. In fact, he almost looked grateful to be given the task.

“Okay,” the Sexta replied. “I’ll go out right away.”

Grimmjow would have left his seat right after he said the line if Aizen didn’t raise his hand as a gesture for him to stop first.

“There is no need to rush,” the master of Las Noches stated in a kind tone. “Take some time to prepare yourself and you can start this mission tomorrow.”

The Sexta Espada responded with a soft “tsk” and a pout, but he remained in his seat anyway.

Nobody could guess why Grimmjow should act in that way. Searching for Hollows in an Adjucas class or higher was supposed to be difficult and boring – difficult because they were small in number, and boring because they could prove to be unworthy of being in Aizen’s army. Even Nnoitra, who had at one time eagerly volunteered for the mission, as it meant more battles for him to participate in, became bored with it after a while and never thought about doing so again.

Tōsen, however, appeared to have a theory.

“If I may have a word about this, Aizen-sama,” said the purple-haired Shinigami, “I don’t believe you should send Grimmjow out to the desert by himself. He might become reckless and compromise his own mission, or worse, he might think about using it as an opportunity to cross over to the human realm to challenge the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, again.”

“What the fuck?” Grimmjow uttered, glaring sharply at Tōsen even though there was no way for the Shinigami to see that look, let alone be fazed by it, for the man was fully blind. “I haven’t even thought about that fucking bastard until you brought him up.”

“Enough, Grimmjow,” Aizen said. His voice became a little sterner than normal. “There is no need for such a language in this meeting.”

The Sexta Espada was about to open his mouth and complain, but a look from Aizen managed to shut him up for a moment.

“Although I trust that you will not disappoint me again, Kaname still has his point. The war between us and Soul Society may not begin yet, but we cannot afford to risk anything at this stage of the game,” the leader of all Arrancar remarked patiently. “So why don’t you see it this way – having another person with you will help you complete the job quicker?”

Since the supreme ruler of Las Noches said so himself, there was no way for the Sexta Espada to protest no matter how much he wanted to, so all he could do was huffing in annoyance.

“Alright, but I ain’t going with any weakling.”

“Of course, you’re not,” Aizen assured. “The point of giving you a partner is so that the mission will be accomplished in the most efficient way, so why would I choose someone that would slow you down?”

Having said that, the brown-haired Shinigami put a serious expression on his face as if he was contemplating on who would be most suitable as Grimmjow’s partner in the job.

“Do you mind if I make a suggestion, Aizen-taichō?”

The question brought all attentions to the silver-haired Shinigami who was standing a couple of steps behind the seat Aizen was taking.

“No, of course not. By all means, go ahead and say it, Gin.”

“Well then, since Grimmjow said he didn’t want to be partnered off with someone weak, I think it’d be best if you send Ulquiorra with him,” the ever-so smiling Shinigami suggested. “I mean, Ulquiorra is obviously not weak. Besides, I heard he and Grimmjow have just been friends recently, so it’d be nice for the two of them to spend more time together – you know, to create a tighter bond.”

The suggestion brought about many different kinds of reactions: Starrk paused his yawning midway to raise an eyebrow; Baraggan, Harribel, Ulquiorra and Zommari remained expressionless; Nnoitra put on a wide, leering grin; Szayelaporro looked like he was about to burst out laughing; Aaroneiro smirked from inside the red liquid of the tube that was supposed to be his head, while Yammy chuckled aloud.

The look on Grimmjow’s face, however, was indescribable, but no matter what his expression meant, he didn’t wait to hear what Aizen or Ulquiorra had to say about that idea at all when he quickly interjected, “Doesn’t Ulquiorra have to take care of that woman?”

This time, Szayelaporro had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter. Meanwhile, Nnoitra grinned even broader as he volunteered, “Oh, I can take care of Pet-sama when Ulquiorra’s not around, so no need to worry ‘bout her when you two go out ‘bonding’.”

“And how exactly do you plan to ‘take care’ of her, Nnoitra?” the sole female presented in the meeting asked, suspicious.

“Ah... if you really must know—”

Seeing a perverse gleam in the Quinta Espada’s slate eye, Aizen decided it would be best to cut him off before he could explain in detail. Therefore, the Las Noches’s ruler raised his hand in a gesture to stop everyone from speaking.

“Thank you for your offer, Nnoitra, but I’ll leave the task of taking care of Inoue Orihime to Harribel,” Aizen noted before he turned to Ulquiorra, who had quietly observed the whole exchange as if it did not concern him, “which means, I will send you out with Grimmjow on this mission, Ulquiorra. Do you have any objection?”

“No, Aizen-sama,” Ulquiorra replied obediently without looking Grimmjow’s way to see the Sexta Espada’s reaction.

“Very well, then, I’ll let you two discuss your plan and decide how much time you need to complete this task,” said Aizen, smiling. “Just report to me at the throne room before you go out tomorrow. Now that should conclude today’s meeting unless anyone has a question.”

Seeing that no one came up with any question, Aizen pushed his chair back slightly.

“In that case, this meeting is adjourned,” said the Lord of Las Noches. “You all may return to your quarters now.”

With that, Aizen and other two Shinigami left the table. Once the Shinigami were gone; Starrk, who no longer appeared to be half asleep since Ichimaru made his suggestion, stood up, stretched himself and asked, “Alright, I know it’s my own fault for sleeping in my quarters all the time and missing out on everything that happens in the palace, but seriously, can anyone tell me when Ulquiorra and Grimmjow become friends?”

* * *

To answer the Primera Espada’s question, the attempt to build a friendship between Ulquiorra and Grimmjow dated a couple of weeks back, but it wasn’t until three days ago that Grimmjow had finally accepted Ulquiorra as his friend...

After he found out that the assumption he (and a few other Las Noches residents) had made about Grimmjow’s preferences was completely wrong, the wielder of Murciélago decided to do as the Sexta Espada himself had suggested – watching the man’s behaviors to figure out his true interests.

The task was not too difficult, as Grimmjow was the type to express himself freely and clearly without much care about what other people’s opinions might be, and so far, Ulquiorra had gathered a rather long list that he had to be surprised by the number of things he had failed to notice about the other man when they had lived under the same roof for such a long time – like how the man hated to be associated with cats even though he was a panther, or how blue was not his favorite color even though he had blue hair and eyes.

The list went on, and Ulquiorra had it all recorded in his notebook, and now he was reviewing them to see if he could find anything that he and Grimmjow had in common aside from the fact that they were both Arrancars in Aizen’s army. As Inoue Orihime had suggested, he could use whatever he found to start a conversation with Grimmjow, so insults would no longer be the only thing that they could exchange.

So far, he still couldn’t find anything, but at the very least, he got to know about Grimmjow’s preferences a little better and he had to admit that if he put the prejudice he had about the blue-eyed Espada aside, Grimmjow was really not such a bad person.

Glancing out of his window, he saw that the artificial sun had already risen far above the horizon, so he closed the notebook and placed it in his hakama pocket before he headed out to the kitchen. If his calculation was correct, he would reach there a few minutes before Grimmjow did, which would give him just enough time to direct someone to bring food to Inoue Orihime so he could stay and have his own breakfast while observing the Sexta Espada’s behavior as well. However, Ulquiorra had to be surprised when he entered the kitchen and saw that his blueheaded target was already half way done with his breakfast.

If it had been before the experiment in making friends, Ulquiorra would simply ignore Grimmjow and choose to sit on a stool that was farthest away from said bluehead. However, since the human girl said that some closeness was required in order to make friends and that simple greeting was an absolute must, Ulquiorra walked up to Grimmjow.

“Good morning, Grimmjow,” the Cuarta Espada greeted as he took a seat on a stool next to the one Grimmjow was sitting at the kitchen counter.

A sigh was the sadistic blue-haired man’s first reaction, and instead of returning Ulquiorra’s greeting, he stated, “You know, Ulquiorra, before taking a seat next to someone, you should ask them if it’s taken first.”

Furrowing his brows Ulquiorra inquired, “What’s the point? It’s obviously empty.”

Once again, Grimmjow sighed. Annoyance could be detected in his voice when he replied, “The point is I might be keeping that seat for someone.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah,” the Sexta Espada replied quickly.

“For whom?”

As he obviously lied when he said that he was keeping a seat for someone, Grimmjow had a hard time looking for a name. After all, the only group of people he was close enough to keep a seat for was his five Fraccións, and they were all already dead.

After he couldn’t find any name, he decided to say the name of the person he had already met earlier in the kitchen, and it was, “Ichimaru Gin?”

Ulquiorra blinked once.

“This is unexpected,” Ulquiorra commented as he pulled the notebook out of his pocket, adding Ichimaru’s name in Grimmjow’s ‘like’ list. “I didn’t know you are close to Ichimaru-sama.”

“That’s because I’m not. I just don’t want you to sit next to me. Got that?” The Sexta Espada snarled. Then he turned and snatched the notebook from Ulquiorra’s hand. “And what the fuck is this?” Grimmjow opened the book and scanned it with his azure eyes, and the content he saw made him unsure if he should feel impressed or violated. “You actually make a list of what I like or don’t like?”

“Yes,” the Cuarta Espada replied, unfazed by the other man’s anger. “Now give me back my notebook.”

Not only did he demand, Ulquiorra also reached out to get his notebook back, but Grimmjow was quicker to hide the book behind his back, out of the shorter man’s reach.

“Not a chance in hell,” he said. “This is an invasion of privacy.”

Frowning deeper, Ulquiorra replied, “How? You suggested it yourself that I should observe you more closely to see what you actually prefer instead of getting random ideas from everyone else, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.”

Although Ulquiorra was right, Grimmjow wasn’t about to admit defeat.

“Yeah, I said that, but you don’t have to be this creepy and write every fucking detail down.”

“How else am I supposed to remember everything if I don’t have a reminder?” Ulquiorra returned before he bared his right hand in front of Grimmjow in a gesture for the blue-haired man to give him back his belonging.

Green met blue as they both stared at one another, neither willing to lose the staring contest. After a couple of minutes and a few weird looks from the chef and some other Arrancars that snuck past them to sit away from the war zone, Grimmjow sighed.

“Alright, fine, I’ll give it back, but not until I see what the hell you’ve written in it first.”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes slightly, but he nodded his agreement anyway. Still taking a seat right next to Grimmjow, the wielder of Murciélago beckoned the chef so he could place his meal order and ask the man if anyone brought food to Inoue yet. Meanwhile, Grimmjow glanced sideways to Ulquiorra to see if the other man was watching him, and once he saw that Ulquiorra paid him no heed, he opened the first page of the notebook and began reading it.

No other words were spoken while Ulquiorra waited for his breakfast. And since all other Arrancars in the kitchen were trying to be as invisible as they could lest they would anger the two Espadas, the only sound that could be heard was a sizzle and a hiss from the kitchen stove and the sound of Grimmjow flipping through the notebook’s pages.

After a while, Grimmjow frowned and turned to Ulquiorra.

“Oi! Give me a pen. I know you’ve got one on you.”

The Cuarta Espada raised an eyebrow as a response.

“What the hell is that look for?” Grimmjow asked, crossed. “You think I don’t know how to write?”

Ulquiorra didn’t bother to answer to Grimmjow’s questions and simply handed a pen to Grimmjow before he turned his attention back to the empty counter in front of him.

Growling softly at Ulquiorra, Grimmjow took the pen and continued checking Ulquiorra’s note. While he didn’t really have any reason to help Ulquiorra with that list, Grimmjow told himself he only did so to prevent future headaches, for the Cuarta Espada had shown him so many times that he had a tendency to take things overly seriously and ridiculously literally. If he should allow any of the man’s misunderstandings to continue, he would more than likely have to suffer Ulquiorra’s new approach on the man’s so-called friendship experiment.

“I’ll give you an A for the effort, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow noted after he was done. He had to admit he was more than a little surprised by how many things Ulquiorra had taken notice about him. There were some mistakes, of course, but aside from that the list was very accurate.

“So can I have my note and my pen back now?”

The blue-haired Espada handed the book and the pen back to the raven-haired one, but before Ulquiorra could take them out of his hand, Grimmjow held them firmly back.

“Wait. Now that you’ve got your list. What’re you planning to do with it?”

“The woman said I should to find if you and I have anything in common. If so, try to bring them to a conversation and then go from there.”

Although his initial plan was to remain indifferent and ignore everything Ulquiorra did in his experiment so that the man would eventually give up, it was hard to stick with the plan when the things Ulquiorra did often threw him off his pace.

Now if he thought Ulquiorra making a dessert for him, showering him with cat-related gifts and then stalking him was already bad enough, he didn’t want to imagine what it would be like to meet a chatty Ulquiorra. That would most likely be his doomsday, and if it was up to him, he would never let it happened.

With that thought in mind, Grimmjow decided that it was indeed up to him, and there was one way for him to prevent everything from getting more awry.

“You know what? Don’t bother,” said the Sexta Espada. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “Just for your effort alone, I’ll agree to be your friend, so you can stop with whatever plan you have.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Grimmjow replied, annoyance could be traced in his voice. “We can even shake on it.”

Not only did he suggest it, the Sexta Espada also proffered Ulquiorra his right hand for a shake. However, when Ulquiorra only looked at it with curiosity, Grimmjow sighed and reached out to take Ulquiorra’s hand in his then shook it once.

“This is called a handshake,” he said. “It’s a thing humans do when they make a deal with someone. Don’t ask me why coz I don’t know either.”

“I see. So how long does this shaking hands thing usually last?” Ulquiorra wondered, looking at their connected hands.

Realizing that he still held on to Ulquiorra’s hand, Grimmjow quickly let go. It wasn’t the first time that he thought that Ulquiorra’s hand seemed to fit well with his, for he had that same line of thought once before when the slender man gently placed his hand above his to stop him from releasing Pantera against the guy with a pharaoh-like mask that came to Kurosaki Ichigo’s rescue; but to actually held on to it after a handshake was ridiculous.

“Just a few seconds would suffice,” Grimmjow said, feeling a bit mad at himself. “Anyway, I’ll get going now. Later, Ulquiorra.”

With that, Grimmjow quickly left his seat and headed out of the door, not bothering to finish the rest of his meal. He was certain that once he agreed to be Ulquiorra’s friend, the guy would lose interest in the subject and things would return to normal soon afterward. After all, all the Cuarta Espada wanted to know was if he could make a friend out of an enemy, so once Grimmjow accepted Ulquiorra’s friendship proposal, it should put an end to everything. He wouldn’t care if anyone called him a coward for taking an easy way out, as he believed they would do the same if they were in his situation.

Of course, the Sexta Espada might not have agreed to be his friend if he had known then that Ulquiorra was still very much interested in the subject of friendship and intended to continue experiencing it with Grimmjow, but whether he liked it or not, he had already signed himself up for it.

… And that was a full explanation on how they technically became friends.

* * *

Starrk didn’t seem to care much for an answer, however, because after a few seconds had passed by without any clear explanation, the Primera Espada simply yawned and declared that he would rather be back to sleep in his room.

Ulquiorra would have done the same as all other Espadas and returned to his private quarters if he had not noticed that Grimmjow had yet to leave his seat. Since the Sexta Espada was usually the first to leave the meeting room, Ulquiorra couldn’t help wondering why the blue-haired man still lingered there. Therefore, he stepped back into the room and approached to Grimmjow’s seat.

Once he took a good look at the wielder of Pantera, Ulquiorra couldn’t help thinking that the man looked like a deflated blue balloon. Since Grimmjow was usually more energetic than an Energizer bunny, Ulquiorra could only frown at the rare sight of a dispirited panther.

“Are you unwell, Grimmjow?” Ulquiorra inquired. “If so, you should have informed Aizen-sama earlier so he could dispatch someone else for the mission.”

The blue-haired Arrancar sighed. “The mission won’t fail because of me if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his thick brows.

“Actually, I asked out of a concern for your well being.”

Grimmjow blinked, obviously very confused.

“I mean, we are friends now, aren’t we? And friends are supposed to care about one another.”

Once again, the Sexta Espada sighed.

“You know, Ulquiorra, this is exactly what makes me sick.”

It was Ulquiorra’s turn to be confused. “And what is ‘this’ you were referring to?”

“You know, the ‘friends are supposed to do this: friends are supposed to do that’ shit,” Grimmjow replied. “I’ve heard you say that far too many times than I care to count, and I’ve enough of it already. If you care, then you care. If you don’t, then you don’t. Don’t pretend that you do just because you were told that it’s how you’re supposed to act. Jeez, at least before you were honest about hating me, but now? Now I don’t know what the hell is really on your mind and I don’t know how to act around you anymore.”

Once Grimmjow finished his line, the room was filled with a complete silence that if someone dropped a needle, they would be able to hear it.

Ulquiorra’s frown was deepened as he took his time to process what the Sexta Espada had said. After a careful consideration, he claimed, “But I really want to be your friend, Grimmjow.”

Although the next thing he said would probably sound like he cared about the slim Espada and wanted the man to care about him in return (which in a way, he did, for it would be much easier for him to deal with Ulquiorra that way), Grimmjow knew he had to get it out of his chest or he would never escape from that trap that Ulquiorra called friendship.

“Why?” Grimmjow wondered. “If it’s because you’ve no idea what friendship’s really like and you want to try it out, there are others who will make a better choice – like that human woman or Ichimaru Gin. They seem friendly enough. It doesn’t have to be me.”

Again, Ulquiorra furrowed his brows that it looked like they would actually be knotted together permanently if he furrowed them any longer. He seemed to be thinking hard about what Grimmjow had said, but it didn’t take long for his expression to return to normal.

“Yes, they are friendly enough,” Ulquiorra agreed, “but they don’t have anything that caught my interest. You, however, have plenty of things that I want to find out more about, so it still has to be you.”

Grimmjow’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”

“Actually, I am.”

The Sexta Espada flopped to the top of the table. “Just kill me now.”

Ulquiorra tilted his head and took another long, considerate look at Grimmjow, and after he saw that the blue-haired male would not change his position any time soon, he asked, “Is it really that bad to be friends with me, Grimmjow?”

“Hell, yeah,” Grimmjow replied swiftly.

“I see.”

Something in Ulquiorra’s tone made Grimmjow look up from the table. He wasn’t sure what that tone was, but it sounded as if his words had actually hurt the usually apathetic Espada’s feeling. While a part of him believed that Ulquiorra deserved it after all the headaches he had given him in the past couple of weeks, another part – a softer part – made him regret having answered that way.

With a sigh, Grimmjow added, “but you know, it won’t be that bad if you’d just act like normal people from time to time.”

Those emerald eyes seemed to be a little brighter when Ulquiorra replied, “I shall try.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Grimmjow said tiredly. “Now leave me alone, will you? I need some time to clear my head.”

“Alright. In that case, I will see you later, Grimmjow.”

Grimmjow acknowledged Ulquiorra’s words with a tired nod. He wasn’t sure why he had to say all those things to make Ulquiorra feel better when he shouldn’t have cared if he hurt Ulquiorra’s feeling. In fact, it would be better for him if he just hurt that man’s feeling. That way Ulquiorra might have left him alone at last, and things would be back to normal again. Yet somehow he had lost a heart to do so. And now all the Sexta Espada could think was that perhaps Ulquiorra’s efforts had not been all in vain, for he had really begun to care about him.


	5. Chapter 5

Since the three Shinigami had given her a desk and a set of writing implements as New Year gifts, Inoue Orihime had spent most of her time drawing some random pictures so she wouldn’t be bored to death when she was left to her own device. And the woman had been so engrossed in that activity that she failed to notice that her apathetic warden had entered her room until the man was standing right behind her and asked, “What are you doing, woman?”

“Wah! U-Ulquiorra-san?” she yelped as a response. Then she quickly close the book she had been drawing on and tried to hide it from Ulquiorra’s view. “W-When did you come in?”

“You are acting suspiciously, woman,” the Cuarta Espada commented, not answering her question.

“Suspicious?” she repeated, wide-eyed. She then gave him a sheepish smile and waving both of her hands as if doing so would make Ulquiorra believe that she hadn’t done anything that should cause him to suspect anything. “Not at all, Ulquiorra-san. I was just writing my diary.”

The way Ulquiorra narrowed his green eyes told Inoue that her warden didn’t believe in one word she had said.

“What is there to write about when all you’ve ever done here is being in this room?” Ulquiorra asked, and since he was not there to act as her friend, he reached behind her and snatched that book from her hand.

Inoue gasped and tried to get the book back from Ulquiorra only to fail miserably, so in the end she gave up and just covered her face with her hands and then backed up to one corner of the room before she tried her best to make herself as small as possible.

Not paying any heed on the girl’s strange behavior, Ulquiorra turned the book open only to frown when he saw that there were only drawings inside, and those drawings were of a weird-looking blue tiger and an even weirder-looking green bat together either holding hands, hugging, kissing, or doing some other unspeakable activities.

Puzzled, Ulquiorra turned his gaze back to the ginger-haired woman. “What are these?”

“Well, if you really have to know, Ulquiorra-san, they’re supposed to be you and Grimmjow-san,” the woman replied meekly as if she was a kid caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

“Grimmjow and I?” Ulquiorra looked back at the drawings and wondered which part of those cartoon characters actually resembled them.

“Yes, you said it yourself that I’m just sitting here all day, so what else am I supposed to draw?” she countered. “Not to mention, you also told me that Grimmjow-san has already accepted your friendship, so you can’t blame a girl for having an imagination.”

Taking another look at the drawing, Ulquiorra asked, “Are you saying that friends are supposed to do all of the activities that you drew?”

Inoue blushed profusely while shaking her head and waving both of her hands. To be completely honest, she was astounded by that question, since it showed her how very little knowledge Ulquiorra possessed of human relation, but on the other hand, she was also relieved that he didn’t know any better. After all, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of reaction Ulquiorra would have if he found out that she was having a really impure imagination about him and the Sexta Espada.

“No, not really, Ulquiorra-san,” Inoue replied. Even though she didn’t want to reveal that she was a closet fujoshi*, she didn’t want to misinform him either. However, since Ulquiorra still seemed to wonder why she drew those pictures to begin with, Inoue decided it would be best if she just added, “Well... at least not in an early stage of friendship.”

“I see,” Ulquiorra replied although he still looked unconvinced. However, he handed the book back to Inoue anyway.

Once she received the book, Inoue quickly hid it away in the drawer of her desk before she sighed and wiped a sweat off her forehead. Then she turned to meet Ulquiorra with a goofy look before she changed the subject, “By the way, Ulquiorra-san, you still haven’t said why you’re here so early. I mean, you usually just come here during meal time, but it’s not dinner time yet.”

Upon hearing the question, Ulquiorra realized he had almost forgotten his original reason for being there when he caught the girl acting suspiciously.

“I just thought I would let you know beforehand that from tomorrow on you will be under Harribel’s care.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Because Aizen-sama has dispatched me to a mission.”

The word “mission” sent a shiver down Inoue’s spine. Although she didn’t know what that mission would be and didn’t have enough courage to ask, she could tell from her experience that whenever Ulquiorra was involved, someone would most likely be in trouble. She only hoped his mission didn’t involve hurting any of her friends that time.

“Oh, I hope nobody will get hurt then,” the ginger-haired girl muttered. Then with a louder voice, she added, “And I’ll certainly miss you when you’re not around, Ulquiorra-san.”

To that remark, Ulquiorra furrowed his brows. “Why?”

Inoue rubbed the side of her head as if doing so would help her find a good explanation.

“Well, you see, Ulquiorra-san, you’re the person I’ve talked to the most in this place, and you’ve been taking care of me since I got here, even though you’d probably say you were only doing what Aizen-sama asked you to do, and you scare me most of the time – no offense.” To show her sincerity, Inoue put the palms of her hands together in front of her chest and bowed her head slightly. “So I’m gonna miss talking to you, especially about the plan to befriend Grimmjow-san. Oh, by the way, talking about Grimmjow-san, have you told him you’re leaving? If you haven’t, you should. I mean, he’s now your friend, isn’t he? So you should let him know when you’re not around. Or maybe he knows it already because he’s also an Espada, so he should be aware of the mission. But anyway, even if he knows it already, you still have to go and say goodbye to him before you leave since that’s a common courtesy. I think he’s going to say that he’ll miss you as well.”

Although Ulquiorra was somewhat used to the woman’s randomness, he still had to blink when she began rambling on nonstop.

“Actually, Grimmjow will be on this mission with me.”

“Really?” Inoue asked. Although she was afraid for anyone who would be their target for that mission, she still couldn’t help herself from beaming at the thought of the two Espadas going on a mission together. “Wow. This means you two can spend more time together and tighten your friendship. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Somehow I doubt Grimmjow would agree with that sentence.”

Now it was the human’s turn to be confused.

“Why would you say that? Of course, Grimmjow-san would agree. I mean, he’s your friend, so there’s no way he wouldn’t want to spend his time with you.”

“He did accept my friendship proposal, but now he seems weary of it – of me,” Ulquiorra observed, frowning. “In fact, he even said that it was bad to be my friend.”

“Ow...” Inoue uttered, crestfallen. Her whole figure reflected how dispirited she felt after she heard that comment. However, in a second later, she put on a hopeful smile and said, “but I’m sure Grimmjow-san doesn’t really mean it, Ulquiorra-san. Are you sure you didn’t misinterpret him?”

Thinking back on Grimmjow’s reaction, Ulquiorra shook his head.

“Yes, I am sure. He made it quite obvious that he didn’t want anything to do with me.”

The ginger-haired girl frowned. “No way! Did he say why?”

The frown on Ulquiorra’s face got deepened as the man thought back to the conversation he had with Grimmjow earlier. Then he remarked, “I believe he said that he didn’t think I really cared to be his friend.”

To the Cuarta Espada’s puzzlement, the girl’s expression shifted from that of a worry to one of hopeful relief.

“Oh, if that’s what he said, I don’t think it’s too bad. In fact, it’s actually nice.”

Even though he always thought the woman had some screws loose, he still couldn’t fathom why she would come up with such a conclusion.

“How could that be nice?”

“Because it means Grimmjow-san really cares about this friendship. I mean, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have been bothered whether you really wanted to be his friend or if it was just to test a theory. Of course, it’s not nice that he thought you didn’t really care to be his friend because you obviously do. I mean, it wouldn’t have mattered to you what he thinks if you don’t care, right, Ulquiorra-san? So in this situation, all you need to do is just to make that point across.”

Once again, Ulquiorra appeared to be in a deep thought.

“I suppose so,” the Cuarta Espada remarked. “So what do I do now?”

“Well,” Inoue began. Her face twisted into a strange expression before she sighed once again and continued, “I could give you some ideas, but I don’t think any of them will work in this case. I mean, you need to convince Grimmjow-san that you genuinely want to be his friend, but if I give you an idea, then it would be from me and not from you, so he’d never believe that you’re being sincere about it. So I’m afraid you’ll need to figure out a way yourself. I’m really sorry.”

Considering the teen’s word for a moment, Ulquiorra nodded.

“That is fine. I will think of something myself,” the Cuarta Espada stated. “Anyway, I’ll be off now, woman.”

“Okay then, good luck with your mission and with Grimmjow-san,” Inoue said. If she were a cheerleader and had a pom-pom or two with her, she would have shaken them and done some routine dance to cheer her warden on. However, since she was not, Inoue only offered him a broad smile. “Please do your best.”

As Ulquiorra turned and left the room, Inoue mentally pat herself on the back. She might not be the smartest person in the world, but she believed she had done a good job with giving an advice to Ulquiorra. And all that was left for her to do was waiting for the result.

* * *

In the next morning, Ulquiorra found himself pondering the human girl’s advice even while he was having his breakfast. Although he had slept on it in the previous night, he still couldn’t come up with any good way to convince the Sexta Espada that he sincerely wanted to be the man’s friend. After all, the matter was more complicated than he first believed, and everything he had done seemed to upset Grimmjow more than it pleased the man.

Finishing his meal, Ulquiorra glanced over to the clock that was hung on the wall. It had already past the usual time for Grimmjow to have breakfast, but there was no sign that the man would show up. With a soft sigh, Ulquiorra beckoned to the chef.

“Yes, Ulquiorra-sama?”

“Has Grimmjow come to get his breakfast yet?”

“No, sir,” the chef replied.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. “Very well, then, give me a burrito.”

The chef gave Ulquiorra an incredulous look. After all, Ulquiorra had just finished his full course breakfast, so to order another burrito sounded a little weird.

“Are you eating here, Ulquiorra-sama?”

“No, it’s a take out,” Ulquiorra replied before he resumed his thinking mode and wouldn’t have come out of that mode if the chef didn’t come to hand him a burrito wrapped neatly in a plastic.

Nodding at the chef to show his gratitude, the Cuarta Espada got out of the kitchen and headed toward Grimmjow’s room. Although Lord Aizen didn’t specifically say when they should meet him at the throne room, judging from how eager the blue-haired Espada was to set off for the mission, he believed Grimmjow would want to leave the first thing in the morning. Therefore, the fact that he hadn’t even showed up for breakfast made Ulquiorra wonder if his blue-eyed friend had really been sick. After all, the man didn’t look too well in the previous day.

It didn’t take long for Ulquiorra to reach to Grimmjow’s private quarters. However, he stood there for a long time, wondering if he should knock. If his memory served correctly, the Sexta Espada had openly stated that he didn’t like to be disturbed in the morning and therefore, didn’t appreciate his door being knocked.

Ulquiorra stood there and contemplated his options for a moment, and when he finally decided that he would just knock the door, said door was suddenly opened that if he hadn’t caught it with his fast reflex, it would have hit him squarely in the face.

“Er—” the Sexta Espada uttered, blinking. It was unclear to him how long the green-eyed Espada had been standing there in front of his room, but Grimmjow didn’t have a chance to even consider asking when Ulquiorra offered him something that looked pretty much like, “A burrito?”

“The chef said you hadn’t come for your breakfast yet, so I thought you might need something to eat before we go out on the mission,” Ulquiorra explained. “But of course, if you don’t like it and want to go and have breakfast in the kitchen instead, that would also be fine.”

Grimmjow looked at the offered burrito for a moment before he decided to accept it.

“Nah, I don’t wanna waste more time here. Let’s just go and meet Aizen and get that damn mission over with,” he remarked as he began to unwrap the food. “And thanks for this, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ulquiorra replied. “However, I must inquire why you haven’t gone to get your breakfast until this late? Could it be because you haven’t got any better than yesterday?”

Not only did he asked, Ulquiorra also took half a step forward before he stared intensely at Grimmjow’s face, intending to spot anything that was wrong with the taller Arrancar.

The weight of the gaze made Grimmjow’s face heat up slightly. Ulquiorra certainly had no concept of personal space, and it was possible that the pale man would come closer and try to check the Sexta Espada’s temperature with his hand, so Grimmjow decided to take a step back before that could happen.

“Oi, give it a rest, will ya?” Grimmjow said, covering his urge to blush by acting annoyed. “Haven’t I already told you yesterday that I ain’t sick? Now let’s just head to the throne room already. You wouldn’t want your precious Aizen-sama to wait, would you?”

With that said, Grimmjow set off to the direction of the throne room without waiting for Ulquiorra’s reply. For some reasons, the Cuarta Espada always managed to make him lose his composure (although to be fair, he didn’t really have so much of that to begin with), and it made Grimmjow shiver to think that he would be stuck with Ulquiorra for only Aizen knew how long. Thus, he decided to shorten the time he had to spend with Ulquiorra by striding down the hallway as fast as he could without looking like he was trying to run away.

The Fourth Sword of Aizen’s Arrancar army looked somewhat puzzled by the way his “friend” almost sprinted off to the throne room, but he decided not to dwell on it and just followed the man to the throne room since at the very least Grimmjow accepted the food he offered without looking offended like all other times and even thanked Ulquiorra for it.

Sounds of their footsteps echoed in an empty hallway, as the two of them walked together to the designated room. Grimmjow had to admit that Ulquiorra was more agile than he had ever given the man a credit for, since no matter how fast and long Grimmjow’s paces were, the Cuarta Espada never failed to catch up with him.

Grimmjow had planned to give Ulquiorra a silent treatment all the way to the throne room, and he had been successful until he took the last bite at the burrito. From then, the silence that occurred afterward gradually became more unbearable that he felt he needed to say something, and so he did.

“Say, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow said after he threw the plastic that was used to wrap the food away in one trash can, “how long do you think it’ll take us to find some worthy Hollows?”

Ulquiorra didn’t reply right away, but the way the black-haired male gave him a side glance made Grimmjow realize he shouldn’t have asked. It was a common knowledge that the wielder of Murciélago deemed most things in his life as trash, and Grimmjow himself had only escaped from that category because of their friendship arrangement, which meant that the Sexta Espada would be able to count what Ulquiorra found worthy of his attention with one hand and still have a finger or two left to count something else. Therefore, a chance of finding any Hollows that Ulquiorra would see as worthy was very slim.

“Shit,” Grimmjow swore under his breath, “this is gonna take forever.”

“I doubt Aizen-sama would allow us that long to complete one mission,” Ulquiorra commented blandly as though he couldn’t be bothered by Grimmjow’s complaint.

“Really?” Grimmjow asked, rolling his eyes. “But you suppose he’ll allow us to come back empty-handed, then? Coz I don’t think it’d be possible for us to come across someone you don’t see as worthless.”

“Since the goal for the mission is to find replacement for our fallen comrades, my plan is to find Hollows that have the same level of reiatsu as you former Fraccións if not higher. Whether they are worthy of joining our side or not is for Aizen-sama to decide,” Ulquiorra noted. Normally, he would just end his sentence there, but since he thought it would be a little friendlier to listen to Grimmjow’s opinion as well, he decided to add, “However, if you have other ideas, I am willing to listen.”

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? Aren’t you being considerate?”

“Well, it is how—”

Ulquiorra stopped himself in the middle of sentence as he realized what he was about to say. He already had enough trouble trying to convince that he was serious about being friends with Grimmjow as it already was, so if he said he was being considerate because someone told him that it was how he was supposed to act, then it would make his tasks even more difficult.

The fact that Ulquiorra stopped himself in the middle of the sentence and even narrowed his eyes as if he was mentally scolding himself didn’t escape Grimmjow’s notice. And since he wasn’t sure if he should laugh or sigh, Grimmjow decided to do neither and shook his head instead. He had to give it to Ulquiorra for managing to do everything completely by the book even though that thing wasn’t supposed to have a guideline to begin with. Most of the time he found that trait of Ulquiorra very annoying, but even though he would never admit it to anyone even if his life depended on it, there were also times – like that moment – that he found that trait somewhat adorable.

“Oi. That was meant to be a joke, so no need to explain yourself. Seriously, Ulquiorra, you need to loosen up a bit,” Grimmjow said. He almost reached his hand out to pat Ulquiorra on the shoulder, but he realized what he was about to do first, so he quickly shoved that hand into the pocket of his pants. “Anyway, to answer your question, my plan is just to follow the strongest reiatsu and then force whoever possesses it to join us, so I guess our plans aren’t that much different, eh?”

Ulquiorra nodded. He was a little surprised that their plans were not that different, since they usually have completely different methods of doing things, and their ideas would clash more often than not, which was one of many reasons why they had never been on a good term until the friendship experiment. It seemed the experiment wouldn’t be a waste of time as he first believed. After all, it had brought about many good changes – like how they were able to discuss their plan without provoking one another when it had once been considered impossible.

“Yes, that appears to be the case.”

* * *

Grimmjow wanted to sigh in relief the moment he and Ulquiorra finally arrived to the throne room, for it meant that he wouldn’t have to try to find more topics to discuss with the slim Espada to prevent an awkward silence from occurring. However, he couldn’t feel relieved just yet, as the first thing he saw after he entered the throne room was that the Lord of Las Noches was not the only person who occupied the room but there was also the silver-haired Shinigami standing by his side.

It was a known fact to all Arrancars that Aizen’s two accomplices rarely appeared in a mission briefing unless the mission directly concerned them or they took their personal interests in it. Since that mission did definitely not concern Gin, he could only assume that the Shinigami with an unfading smile took a personal interest in said mission. And the Sexta Espada knew from experience that it was never a good sign when Ichimaru Gin was interested in anything.

“Since you two are already here, shall I take it that you have already discussed your plan to execute this mission?” Aizen asked with a smiling face, although both Espadas suspected the Shinigami had already known the answer.

“Yes, Aizen-sama,” was Ulquiorra replied. “Shall I relay it to you in detail?”

“There’s no need to do that,” replied the rogue Shinigami. “I trust in your judgment.”

Hearing that remark, Grimmjow had an urge to ask the Shinigami why the hell he asked them to report to him before leaving to begin with, but he knew better than to say it aloud. As kind and forgiving as he portrayed himself, Aizen was still a cold unmerciful bastard who could kill people without dropping that gentle smile from his face.

“However,” Aizen continued, “I’d like you two to add searching this area into your plan, since Kaname detected some Hollow activities there earlier. You might find a new Hollow colony. Here’s the coordinate.”

Ulquiorra nodded and went to collect the note from their boss before he returned to stand beside Grimmjow.

“Now how much time do you think you need to complete this mission?” Aizen inquired.

“A week is more than enough,” Grimmjow replied quickly before Ulquiorra could have any say in the matter. After all, that was the maximum length of time he believed he could stand being alone with Ulquiorra.

“I agree that it would suffice in our prior plan,” Ulquiorra remarked calmly. “However, since Aizen-sama wishes us to search this area as well, I believe we need more than one week. After all, it would take at least five days to travel to this coordination.”

Grimmjow was about to protest, but Aizen beat him to it.

“I will give you three weeks, then,” the former Fifth Division’s captain said with finality. “Now I will let them go on the mission, unless you have anything to add, Gin.”

“Ah, no, Aizen-taichō,” Ichimaru replied. The everlasting smile still plastered his face. “I’m just here to see them off and wish them a good journey. And, oh, I want you two to take these.”

By saying “these” Ichimaru suddenly pulled out a huge picnic basket and three matching blue and green bags that were probably sleeping bags and a backpacking tent from behind the throne Aizen was sitting. Seeing that both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were too stunned to react, he prompted, “Come on, come and take them.”

“Er... you do realize Ulquiorra and I are not going on a camping trip, right?” Grimmjow asked with a grimace.

“Of course, but that still doesn’t change the fact that you two will have to spend time out in the open, so this will save you some time from worrying about food or shelter.”

Once again, Grimmjow felt his headache returning, but for the sake of shutting the sly Shinigami up, he replied, “Alright, we’ll take them.”

With that said, the Sexta Espada walked up to Ichimaru and picked up a picnic basket and one sleeping bag then passed them to Ulquiorra before he picked up the tent and another sleeping bag.

Seeing the Espada’s action, Gin turned to Aizen, who seemed to be equally amused, and remarked, “That is all I have to say to them, Aizen-taichō.”

“Well then, you are free to go now, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow,” Aizen stated. “I shall see you in three weeks.”

Getting the permission to leave, both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra gave the two Shinigami a bow and left.

After the Espadas had left the room, Aizen gave his subordinate a side glance and could see that the silver-haired man was pouting slightly.

“What seems to be the matter, Gin? You were happy just a moment ago.”

With a sigh, the former captain of the Gotei 13’s Third Division replied, “Well, nothing really. It’s only that I just realized that now that they’re both going out to the desert, I won’t be able to watch my favorite telenovela for three whole weeks.”

To that Aizen chuckled.

“Oh, we will still be able to watch it just fine,” said the Lord of Las Noches before he continued once he saw a puzzled look from his lieutenant. “You don’t really think that I will send my only source of entertainment out for that long without any plan, do you, Gin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *fujoshi = Japanese slang for yaoi fangirl


	6. Chapter 6

Three weeks. That was the length of time he would have to spend on that mission that Aizen randomly threw at him. At the very first, he didn’t really mind the mission much even though he would rather be doing something more productive like invading Soul Society and killing all Shinigami when they were least expected, for he believed that at the very least the boring mission would give him some time away from Ulquiorra and his pathetic attempt at friendship. However, no thanks to the resident prankster, Ichimaru Gin, the Cuarta Espada was dispatched to that mission with him.

It was true that they had been in the same mission before when their relationship was in a much worse term, but in that mission, they had their own parts to play, so he didn’t get to interact with Ulquiorra at all until the moment the Cuarta Espada appeared out of nowhere to stop him from releasing Pantera and led everyone back to Hueco Mundo. However, in the current mission, they would have to spend three whole weeks together; and to be completely honest, even though they were friends in name, Grimmjow didn’t think their relationship had improved enough for them to spend that amount of time together without trying to kill one another or at least driving each other insane.

The idea of a potential battle against Ulquiorra made Grimmjow blink. Normally he would rejoice in the thought of fighting and killing the apathetic wielder of Murciélago. They had been at odds for so long that he couldn’t keep track of how many times he deliberately did things to provoke that man to fight him. However, not even once in those weeks the Cuarta Espada had come to harass him with his strange ideas of building a friendship had Grimmjow actually considered killing Ulquiorra so he would no longer have to suffer the man’s experiment. He hadn’t even tried to provoke that slender man into a fight as he usually did even though doing so would send a very clear message to the Cuarta Espada that he had no intention of being friends with him. All he had ever done during the whole episode was bitching about Ulquiorra’s weird attempts before he eventually dropped some clues for the guy to work with.

“Oh, shit!” Grimmjow cursed as a realization hit him. There was no wonder why Ulquiorra kept coming up with new ideas to befriend him. After all, he had unconsciously egged the man on. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”

“What’s the matter, Grimmjow?”

Ulquiorra’s question jerked the Sexta Espada out of his reverie, and Grimmjow once again realized that they were in Hueco Mundo's endless desert and that his focus should be spent on the task of finding strong Hollows to enlist, not pondering on his relationship or lack thereof with Ulquiorra.

“Nothing,” was his prompt reply, but when he saw the way Ulquiorra furrowed his thick brows, he realized he should give more explanation. After all, as foul as his mouth was, it was still considered abnormal for him to curse four times in a role without any reason at all. “I... just forgot to bring a clock with me from Las Noches, that’s all.”

It was after he mentioned it that Grimmjow realized that it was not a complete lie. He had spent the big part of the previous night psyching over the fact that he would have to spend three whole weeks with Ulquiorra so he barely prepared for the mission itself and forgot to bring many things that he should have brought with him to the desert.

“If that is the case, you don’t have to worry,” said Ulquiorra. “I brought one with me.”

With that remark, Ulquiorra shifted the picnic basket and the sleeping bag he had been carrying since before they left Las Noches to his left hand so he could dig his right hand into his hakama pocket and bring out a silver pocket watch to prove his word.

“Always prepared, aren’t ya?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Grimmjow chuckled. He wasn’t too sure if he should be grateful that he was partnered with Ulquiorra or continue to be frustrated. After all, if he were with someone else, they might have forgotten about that little detail and ended up not returning to Las Noches as scheduled and got punished by Aizen for that; but then again, if someone else was his partner, he wouldn’t have been so agitated that he would forget to bring a clock in the first place.

But whichever was the case, the wielder of Pantera decided it was not worth pondering over. After all, they were already out in that dry, cold desert; and there was no turning back to Las Noches until they completed their task.

“You can take it whichever way you like,” said the blue-haired male. “Anyway, since you already brought that thing out, what time is it?”

Glancing at the watch, Ulquiorra replied, “Around two in the afternoon, or so it is in Las Noches.”

It was not difficult to understand why the Cuarta Espada bothered to add the second part of his sentence, since it was also difficult for Grimmjow to actually think of that time as an afternoon when there was that dark sky and crescent moon right above his head.

“Already?”

Hearing the time reminded him that he had walked the desert with Ulquiorra for about five hours and that they had yet to fight. He wondered if it was because he had spent most part of that time cursing his fate while Ulquiorra was not a type to start random conversations. Come to think about it again, ninety-nine percent of their disputes were started by him, so that shouldn’t have been so much of a surprise.

Scratching the back of his head, Grimmjow looked back over his shoulder only to grimace at the sight of Las Noches still right behind them.

“And yet we can still see Las Noches clearly from here. Hell, I’ll never get what the fuck was in Aizen’s head when he decided to build that place so freaking huge.”

Not even bothering to turn around to check if Grimmjow was lying about still seeing the white palace from such a distance, Ulquiorra suggested, “I suppose he did so because it would not accommodate or facilitate everyone otherwise?”

“You don’t sound so sure about that,” the Sexta Espada commented. “And I always thought you might know what he’s thinking better than any of us. After all, aren’t you his favorite?”

Having said it, Grimmjow felt like banging his head against something hard. He almost sounded as if he was jealous of whatever kind of relationship Ulquiorra had with Aizen when he shouldn’t have cared about it at all. After all, Ulquiorra’s personal life was none of his business and he didn’t care who Aizen’s favorite was as long as everyone recognized his strength.

Fortunately enough for Grimmjow, his black-haired companion didn’t seem to catch on when he explained, “Aizen-sama treats all of us Espadas in the same way. If he has any favoritism in any of his subordinates, it would be toward Ichimaru-sama.”

The blue-haired Espada chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that one. Ichimaru’s gotta be his favorite or else there’s no other reason for him to bring such an annoying guy with him from Soul Society. But anyway, talking about Ichimaru, let’s take a break and eat something. I’m hungry.”

Ulquiorra turned to give Grimmjow a strange look. “Talking about Ichimaru-sama makes you hungry?”

If anyone else asked him that question, Grimmjow would believe he was teased, but since it was Ulquiorra and the guy was too serious to make a joke, the Sexta Espada didn’t really know what to make of it.

“What the fuck! Don’t twist my words in a weird way,” he yelled. “I was thinking of that picnic basket he insisted us to take.”

Not only did he say so, Grimmjow also pointed at the basket in Ulquiorra’s hand.

“Oh, this?” Ulquiorra turned his green eyes to that basket as if it had already slipped his mind that he had been carrying it since they left the throne room. “Let’s see what’s inside, then.”

* * *

“Seriously, I feel like we’re still being watched from Las Noches.”

Grimmjow said after he dropped the baggage that was a backpacking tent and a sleeping bag onto the sand with a nice thud. Meanwhile, Ulquiorra bent down and carefully placed the picnic basket and his sleeping bag down to the ground near to where Grimmjow dropped his stuff.

“You are thinking too much, Grimmjow,” the ebony-haired male commented as he opened the lid of the basket and pulled out a blanket with blue and green tartan pattern. “I doubt it is possible even for Aizen-sama to see us from such a distance.”

With that said, Ulquiorra unfolded the blanket, laid it down on the ground then placed the picnic basket on top of it before he sat down himself.

“Yeah, guess you’re right,” Grimmjow said as he flopped down on the blanket Ulquiorra had just laid out and began digging inside the picnic basket to find what kind of food Gin had put in there. “Hmm... meal boxes. Okay, I gotta admit this is better than I expected. Maybe I didn’t give Ichimaru enough credit.”

Passing one box to Ulquiorra, Grimmjow then opened another one. However, his expression contorted into a grimace once he saw the food inside.

“Scratch that! I’m gonna kill that creep the next time I see his face. What the fuck was he trying to pull by packing us this kind of stuff?”

Ulquiorra blinked and decided to open his own meal box to see if there was anything inside that might have offended Grimmjow enough for the man to make that harsh comment. However, even after he took a look, he still couldn’t understand why Grimmjow should be upset by the meal that Ichimaru had given to them, since they looked like normal rice balls to him, and if his memory served correctly, Grimmjow neither liked nor disliked Japanese cuisine. Therefore, he decided to lean over to take a look at Grimmjow’s meal box just in case the content was different; however, it was pretty much the same with his own.

“What’s wrong with the food?” Ulquiorra wondered.

Grimmjow probably had the same line of thought as Ulquiorra since he also took a look at Ulquiorra’s meal box. Then as he saw that they were the same, he gave the Cuarta Espada an incredulous look before he uttered, “All of these bloody rice balls are in heart shape, dammit!”

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow before he gingerly picked up one rice ball from his box so he could examine it more closely.

“So this is what a heart looks like?” he said, fascinated. “How strange. I’ve never seen any organ that looks anything like this in a human body. Perhaps I didn’t look hard enough.”

The Sexta Espada facepalmed at that comment.

“And why does it upset you, by the way?” asked the raven-haired man.

“Because—” Grimmjow stopped himself. Although he could have explained why he had been upset by the heart shape rice balls, a part of him doubted Ulquiorra would get it. After all, as smart and skillful as the Cuarta Espada was in the battlefield, when it came to a matter of relationship, Ulquiorra was as innocent as a newborn child. And since telling Ulquiorra that Ichimaru meant to tease them by suggesting that their mission was a romantic getaway of some sort made Grimmjow feel as though he would be corrupting Ulquiorra, he decided that whatever the Cuarta Espada didn’t know would not hurt him. Therefore, the blue-haired man sighed and said, “Never mind. It’s just one of Ichimaru Gin’s stupid jokes, so forget it.”

With that said, Grimmjow picked up one rice ball and chomped it down as if he had held some grudges against the food, and eating it that way would at least make him feel better.

Although Ulquiorra should have followed Grimmjow’s example and eaten the food, he kept staring at the shape of the rice ball in his hand. Now that he thought about it carefully, he recalled seeing that same shape before on the envelope of a New Year card that the human girl had written to Grimmjow in his behalf. He believed back when the Sexta Espada received that New Year card, the man had also behaved in the same manners; therefore, Ulquiorra couldn’t help thinking that there might be some connections between the two events.

Glancing sideways and finding that the ebony-haired Espada still looked at the rice ball in awe, the Sexta Espada rolled his eyes.

“If you’re not gonna eat, then just put the damn thing back in the box. Don’t keep staring at it like it’s one of the seven wonders – it’s creepy,” said Grimmjow. “What the hell is with you and your fixation on human-related topics anyway?”

The question managed to make Ulquiorra tear his eyes away from the rice ball and cast them to Grimmjow instead.

“I’m not interested in all human-related matters,” Ulquiorra correct. “I’m merely interested in this thing that they dub as a heart.”

Raising an eyebrow, the Sexta Espada questioned, “A heart? What’s so interesting ‘bout it?”

“It is something that Hollows do not possess,” the green-eyed Arrancar explained. “Therefore, I wonder what it looks like and what is the use of it.”

Upon hearing that explanation, many things began to make more sense to the wielder of Pantera.

“Is that the reason why you have a habit of plunging a hole into your enemies’ chests? To find if a heart is hidden underneath?”

Ulquiorra turned to look at Grimmjow’s face. If anything were to show that he was surprised by that question, it would be the way his green-eyed were slightly wider than usual.

“You notice?”

“It’s impossible not to,” the Sexta Espada replied. “Oh, well, at least now it makes a lot more sense, but I’ve gotta tell you, Ulquiorra, you won’t find that ‘heart’ thing inside a human’s body. As far as I know, that thing about isn’t something you can see with your eyes.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows. “If it cannot be seen, how can they be certain that it really exists and even give it this shape?”

The blue-haired Arrancar responded with a shrug.

“How the hell would I know? I ain’t human,” Grimmjow replied. “If you really wanna know, just ask that woman once we’re back in Las Noches. Now eat up already, we still have a long way to go.”

* * *

After having continued walking for several more hours, both Espada had finally left the last underground tunnel where Arrancars who were assigned as Las Noches’s gatekeepers resided. Las Noches itself had also disappeared from their sights, and that fact made Grimmjow feel a little more at ease. However, the fact that they still couldn’t feel any strong presences from other Hollows in the area also reminded him that what they were sent out to do wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

As they went deeper into the desert, the wind had become so much stronger that it made the Sexta Espada wonder if it would turn into a sandstorm at some point. While Grimmjow was quite proud of his fashion statement, he couldn’t help feeling irritated when many grains of sand blew past his skin and occasionally went through the Hollow hole in his abdomen. For a moment there, the Sexta Espada contemplated zipping up his jacket, but he later decided against doing so as it was already too late for his chest was already covered in sand anyway. Therefore, all he did was lifting his hand up to block the sand from getting into his face and his eyes.

“Oi, Ulquiorra, let’s call it a night,” Grimmjow suggested. “I don’t think we can get far in this kind of wind.”

Not getting his answer right away, Grimmjow glanced to his left side where Ulquiorra had quietly walked since the beginning of the journey only to realize that the Cuarta Espada wasn’t there. Followed his instinct, he turned back over his shoulder and saw that Ulquiorra had fallen a few steps behind. It seemed that while the raven-haired Arrancar had most part of his skin covered with his boring, old-fashioned uniform, his face and eyes were left vulnerable, and if his assumption was correct, a considerable amount of sand had to get into those emerald orbs.

He would have laughed at Ulquiorra’s situation, but he realized that he wasn’t that much better off, so Grimmjow growled and looked around to see if there were any place they could take as a shelter, since he didn’t think they would be able to set up that tent he had been carrying on his back.

Seeing nothing but sand dunes and quartz trees, the Sexta Espada sighed before he quickly approached his pale-skinned companion.

“That’s it! Let’s get underground.”

Not only did he make that suggestion, Grimmjow also grabbed Ulquiorra’s wrist. And before the wielder of Murciélago could say anything, his “friend” suddenly shot a red cero down on the ground, causing it to collapse from beneath their feet, then they both fell into the hole along with some sand.

* * *

Since too much sand had got into his system in a short while, Ulquiorra had no choice but to cough it up after he landed safely in the underground area that was known to some as the forest of Menos. Thanks to his quick reflex, the Cuarta Espada managed to get away from all the sand that were still falling down after him before he could be buried underneath it.

After he was done coughing up and brushing the sand off his face and body, Ulquiorra searched for his blue-haired friend with his eyes. Grimmjow was standing not very far from him, shaking sand off his electric blue hair.

“Man, this sucks! Why is there so much sand?” Grimmjow muttered to himself before he turned around and froze as he met Ulquiorra’s eyes. “Hey, are you okay over there, Ulquiorra?”

“Yes,” the raven-haired Espada replied as he started brushing the sand off his clothes. Then he looked around once again to find the picnic basket and the sleeping bag he had been carrying only to find that they were nowhere to be seen. “However, I have lost the sleeping bag and the picnic basket, so it looks like we are going to have to hunt for food from now on.”

Hearing Ulquiorra’s word, Grimmjow also looked around for the missing objects, but he also failed to locate them. It looked like those things were buried beneath the sand that had fallen down with them, and even if they somehow managed to dig them up from that huge pile of sand, they would probably be crushed by the weight of the sand that they wouldn’t be of any use to them anyway.

He growled softly. The thought of having to hunt for food wasn’t too bad in comparison to eating Gin’s food, but with Ulquiorra’s sleeping bag gone missing, he couldn’t help wondering if the Cuarta Espada expected to share his.

A mental image of the two of them sitting side by side near a campfire sharing a blanket that was his sleeping bag, trying to get themselves warm popped up into Grimmjow’s head, and he almost slapped himself for it. He was sure Ichimaru would get a kick out of their situation if he had ever found out, and would surely not let them live it down afterward.

That mission was getting worse and worse.

With another growl, Grimmjow decided that being angry wouldn’t help, since part of it was his fault for not warning Ulquiorra before he dragged them down into the Menos forest.

“You know what? That’s fine with me, as long as you don’t expect me to share my sleeping bag with you,” Grimmjow said.

“Why would I expect you to do that?”

The blue-eyed male blinked twice. Even though he always considered their friendship as something that existed only in name, that response from Ulquiorra still managed to make him feel like he was some kind of selfish jerk whose aim was to take everything he could from his friend and never give anything back in return. It was as if the concept of friendship in Ulquiorra’s view was a one-way street where the man had to try to please Grimmjow in every possible way without expecting anything from him at all.

And perhaps it was because of how Ulquiorra really didn’t want anything in return at all that Grimmjow found it impossible to really ignore the pale Espada.

“Because, like every other relationship, friendship ain’t no one-way street. You’ve gotta both give and take,” Grimmjow explained, exasperated. “You help them when they’re in trouble, and you’d kinda expect them to do the same when you’re in one.”

Ulquiorra tilted his head slightly as he looked at Grimmjow and commented, “Now you sound like you want to share that sleeping bag with me, Grimmjow.”

“Like hell I do!” Grimmjow yelled before he buried his face in his hands. “Shit, I’m digging my own grave just now, aren’t I?”

The Sexta Espada didn’t know if it was his imagination or Ulquiorra really did find his reaction amusing enough to allow the corners of his black and white lips to curve up into a small smile, since it faded away too soon for him to be certain.

“As I said, I have no intention of sharing your sleeping bag,” said the green-eyed male. “In any case, there is one cave over there, perhaps we can stay there for the night?”

* * *

A small campfire was built in the middle of the dark cave to light the place and give some warmth at the same time. The only regret for Grimmjow was that they had lost the picnic basket so he didn’t have any marshmallow to roast. It was not because he was hungry, as he didn’t really spend that much of his spirit energy that day, but it was more because he didn’t have anything to do to kill the time that all that was left for him to do was staring at his black-haired companion who was sitting right across to him.

Ulquiorra’s pale skin glowed with the orange light of the campfire. If it wasn’t for the fact that those emerald orbs were still open and staring blankly at the flickering flame, Grimmjow would have thought his companion had already turned in for the night. However, just because Ulquiorra had sat motionless there didn’t mean that he paid any less attention to his surrounding, since the Cuarta Espada suddenly broke the silence by asking, “Why are you staring?”

“Staring? Who? Me?” Grimmjow asked, surprised.

“There are only the two of us here, aren’t there?” the green-eyed man retorted, his deep green eyes had yet to leave the fire.

“Ah, if you must know, I’m just wondering about something.”

“About what?”

“Well, since you’re a bat and all, does that mean you sleep with your head upside down?”

Ulquiorra blinked twice at the question before he responded dryly with, “Do you have to sleep in a tree?”

“No.”

“Then I do not need to sleep in a cave, much less with my head upside down,” said the Cuarta Espada.

And since he already allowed his curiosity to get better of him, Grimmjow decided that it wouldn’t hurt to just ask everything he had been wondering.

“How do you normally sleep then? I mean, with that helmet mask of your, it’s probably uncomfortable to lie down.”

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow as if to ask Grimmjow why the man was interested in his sleeping habit, but he didn’t voice that question and simply replied, “I can always lie on my right side.”

“That doesn’t sound too convenient,” Grimmjow noted, “But I guess it’s better than sleeping with your head upside down anyway.”

Ulquiorra made no comment to that remark and kept on staring at the flame as if it was the most interesting thing to do. Grimmjow was about to give up at conversation and turn in for the night, but as he prepared to lie down, another question crossed his mind and he decided that he would just ask.

“Say, Ulquiorra, why did you choose to follow Aizen?” He could see that the question had captured his companion’s attention since those green eyes were now on him instead of on the campfire. Seeing a question in the Cuarta Espada’s eyes, Grimmjow decided to explain a little further, “I mean, most of us, maybe with an exception of Starrk, joined because we wanted to be stronger for some reasons, but you’re different, aren’t you? I mean, you’re the only one who chose to keep that regenerative power instead of trading it for greater strength, and it’s not like you enjoy fighting in particular or have anything that you need to protect.”

The Cuarta Espada didn’t reply to that question right away. Instead, he took his time to consider his answer.

“To find purposes, I suppose,” the black-haired man replied. “Before I met Aizen-sama, all I ever did to fill my day was going around eating other Hollows to stay alive. But then he came and offered me a chance to learn things I would not be able to learn as a Hollow. He gave me some purposes in a life that would otherwise be meaningless.”

“Ah, now I kinda get why your aspect of death is emptiness.”

Ulquiorra made no comment on that remarked, but instead, he asked, “And you, Grimmjow? What is your reason for joining Aizen-sama?”

“It’s rather simple. I wanted to be stronger so I could destroy all beings that had ever looked down on me. That’s all there is to it.”

“Is that why you kept challenging me to a fight?” asked the apathetic Espada. “Because you thought I looked down on you?”

“Can you honestly say that you didn’t? I mean, you always ignored my presence and even if I challenged you, you’d just brush me off as if I wasn’t worth your time.” The Sexta Espada paused for a moment as he realized how much he sounded as if he wanted Ulquiorra’s undivided attention. “Not that I wanted to be the center of your attention or anything, but—” Grimmjow sighed as he couldn’t find the right word to speak his mind. “You know what I’m trying to say.”

Ulquiorra nodded, and to make his point in what he was going to say next, he tore his eyes from the campfire so he could meet with Grimmjow’s gaze.

“Even if I said I didn’t, you wouldn’t believe me anyway,” he stated. “But for what it’s worth, I believe if Aizen-sama chooses someone as an Espada, the person has to have some useful qualities, and therefore, not complete trash. The reason I never accepted your challenge is not because you are unworthy of my time, but rather because I see no point in raising my sword against a fellow Espada when we are supposed to work together, not against one another.”

“Is that so?” Grimmjow asked even though he could tell that Ulquiorra was quite honest with his explanation. Now that everything was said, he couldn’t help wondering if the cause of the hostile feeling he had for the Cuarta Espada could be just a misunderstanding from his part. Of course, it wasn’t as if Ulquiorra had done anything to clear it up either, but at least, he understood that apathetic man a little better, and the idea of being that man’s friend didn’t seem as farfetched as it had been before. “Well, then I’m glad we have this conversation.”

Ulquiorra seemed to agree with him since the man replied, “So am I.”

“Anyway, I’m going to sleep now,” Grimmjow noted. “You’d better do the same as well, coz tomorrow is sure gonna be a long day.”

“I know,” was the Cuarta Espada reply. “Good night, Grimmjow.”

“Yeah, good night.”

With that said, Grimmjow turned away from Ulquiorra and tried to find the best position for him to sleep. And the last thought that he had before he drifted into a peaceful slumber was that perhaps the upcoming three weeks would not turn out to be a total disaster after all.


	7. Chapter 7

“Grimmjow’s gone really soft on Ulquiorra lately, don’t you think, taichō?”

The tone of voice Ichimaru Gin used when he made the comment caused Aizen to tear his brown eyes from the television screen he had been watching in a while so that he could gauge the man’s expression better. Although he was proud of his skill in reading and understanding people, the manipulative ruler of Las Noches still had to admit that he hardly ever understood how his silver-haired subordinate’s mind really worked despite the fact that Gin had been his right-hand man for decades.

Following the routine that had been formed since they had become aware of Ulquiorra’s intention to befriend Grimmjow, Aizen and Ichimaru were in the control room, spying on the two Espadas’ interactions through a camcorder which was disguised as a Hollow desert locust. The look Ichimaru’s face was having, however, was not a kind of look Aizen expected to see from his subordinates.

Ever since Ulquiorra had started his little experiment, the ever-so smiling Shinigami had taken his personal interest in it and had gone all of his way to support the Cuarta Espada’s action. Therefore, Aizen expected Gin to look more pleased when the two Espadas had finally warmed up to one another. However, instead of a genuinely pleased expression, there was a small pout on the former Third Division Captain’s face, which indicated that something was not to his liking.

Looking at the screen again and saw that Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were still walking in the forest of Menos, Aizen turned to face his subordinates and asked, “And is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing for you, Gin?”

Ichimaru sighed. “A little bit of both, I’d say.”

Aizen raised an eyebrow, urging his favorite lieutenant to continue.

“Ah, how to say this? I’m glad they’re getting close coz it means Grimmjow will forget he wanted to kill me for those heart-shaped rice balls I gave them,” replied the sly Shinigami, “but on the other hand, there’ll no longer be any fun for me if they ever see eye to eye. I mean, if they’re already friends, then there’ll be no reason for Ulquiorra to come and ask for my advice, so I can’t give him some ambiguous ideas that he’ll surely misinterpret and drive Grimmjow crazy as a result.”

Upon hearing the explanation, the brown-haired Shinigami chuckled.

“You really are twisted, Gin.”

“Well, that’s a part of my charm,” Ichimaru noted. “And what ‘bout you, taichō? Do you really think it’ll still be fun for us to watch if they really become all lovey-dovey?”

Aizen smiled slightly.

“Unlike you, Gin, I don’t take pleasure in playing pranks on others,” he claimed, “and even if I do, I still doubt their relationship would become ‘lovey-dovey’ as you said any time soon.”

“How can you be so sure about that, taichō?” said the silver-haired prankster. “I mean they are Hollows, and Hollows are simple beings that only act upon their instincts. They aren’t as good at pretending to be something they’re not as humans or Shinigami. Once they care about someone, it will definitely show.”

“They are Arrancars, Gin,” the brown-haired Shinigami pointed, “so they should be a little bit more complex than normal Hollows. From what I see now, it will take a long time for Grimmjow to finally admit that he comes to care for Ulquiorra, and not to mention, it would take much longer for Ulquiorra to understand the concept of emotions well enough to act upon it. Thus, we’ll have a show to watch for another while.”

“But even so, they’ll come to term with their feelings at some point.”

Aizen chuckled.

“Yes, you’re probably right,” Aizen said in that gentle tone of his, “but of course, should that time ever come and things ever be less interesting to watch, we can always try to break them up.”

In response to his boss’s remark, the silver-haired man laughed.

“Lemme guess, if you’re bored of watching them fight, you’ll just try to patch things up between them.”

A smile on Aizen’s face became broader as he commented, “You know me too well, Gin.”

Ichimaru shook his head.

“To think just a moment ago you called me twisted, Aizen-taichō.”

Aizen smiled slightly.

“But seriously, how come Grimmjow changes his attitude so fast? They’ve only been out there for a week,” Gin continued to complain as he turned his eyes back to the screen, which showed that the two Arrancars were still somewhere in the middle of the desert with Ulquiorra frowning slightly while looking at a navigator and Grimmjow standing close to him, pointing at one direction.

“It is not that difficult to understand actually,” Aizen remarked. “After all, no matter how much you hate one person, it is still possible to have a change of heart after having been treated with kindness by said person for some time. Besides, you should have known from watching them that it isn’t as if Grimmjow hates Ulquiorra for any other reasons aside from his own prejudices, so it is not unusual for him to change his attitude when he gets to know Ulquiorra better.”

After hearing his boss’s logic, Gin became quiet for a moment as if he was in a deep thought. Although his eyes remained close, his broad smile seemed to have faltered slightly when he objected, “But weren’t we treated kindly by the people in Soul Society, then, taichō?”

Aizen could understand what his subordinate was trying to say with that question, and he didn’t have anything else to say but, “Yes. However, an act of betrayal has nothing to do with love or hate or else there would not be cases when we betray those we love, or even worse...ourselves.”

As a response, Ichimaru’s lips curved up slightly into a much colder smile than the one he had been wearing earlier, yet he said nothing to the comment.

Knowing that his subordinate could only be that quiet when he was scheming up something, Aizen once again had to wonder what kind of plan Gin was cooking in that little head of his. He doubted he would ever find out before that plan had actually been played out, but he was not about to try to stop the man. After all, he didn’t think Gin could ever be a real threat to him even if that man really tried, and even if he could prove to be wrong about that, it still would not matter. What really mattered was that he had something to do to pass the time so he would not die of boredom before he could crown himself as the new Spirit King.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in Hueco Mundo's desert, completely unaware of the fact that they had been starring in Aizen and Ichimaru’s most recent favorite television show, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were trying to find their next destination with the help of a small navigator that Szayelaporro had given them before they left Las Noches.

“Are you sure this thing is really working?” Grimmjow asked as he leaned over Ulquiorra’s shoulder to look at the navigator in the Cuarta Espada’s hand. “Coz it says we’re already here, but this place sure as hell doesn’t look like it’s been occupied by any Hollows.”

It was either Ulquiorra did not notice that Grimmjow had invaded his personal space and been standing so close behind him that if Ulquiorra’s turn his head only slightly, their Hollow masks would certainly clash, or he didn’t mind that the closeness, since Ulquiorra neither tried to step away or warned Grimmjow off. Instead, the apathetic Arrancar kept his focus on the navigator and smacked it on the side for a couple of times as if by doing so, the result on the screen might change.

Seeing that Ulquiorra had yet to answer him and kept hitting the electronic device in his hand, the Sexta Espada decided to reach out and snatch the thing from the Cuarta Espada’s hand before it would really be broken.

“Give it to me. You’re gonna break it for real if you keep hitting it like that,” Grimmjow commented, wondering if somehow his short temper had rubbed on Ulquiorra during the week they were alone together. “Aren’t you supposed to be the calm one of us?”

After he got a hold of the device, Grimmjow violently shook the navigator as if doing so would make the screen show a different result.

“I doubt your way is any better,” Ulquiorra stated and suddenly turned toward his blue-eyed companion.

Since it was a sudden move, the Sexta Espada could barely dodge before the horn part of Ulquiorra’s helmet actually poked into his eye.

“Oi! That’s dangerous!” Grimmjow cried, instinctively touching where his mask was hit by Ulquiorra’s. “If you’re gonna turn this way, just fucking say it.”

“It’s your own fault for standing that close to me in the first place.”

Had it been anyone else, the person who delivered the line might as well blush when he or she were saying it; however, since it was Ulquiorra, the emotionless Espada only spoke his line in a matter-of-fact tone. Even so, that comeback was still enough to render Grimmjow speechless for a moment, as the Sexta Espada came to realize how much he had got close to Ulquiorra lately, not only in a figurative sense but in a literal sense as well.

Quickly the blue-haired man jumped back a couple of steps so that there would be some distance between the two of them.

“Anyway...” Grimmjow said, changing the subject, “...since we’re here already, let’s explore the area a bit. Though it doesn’t look like there’s anything here, we still can’t give anyone a chance to say that we fail at our job because we don’t look thoroughly enough. I’m going that way. You search wherever you feel like.”

With that said, Grimmjow dashed off to the direction he had pointed earlier and acted like he wanted to turn the ground over to find any trace of Hollows that might have been there like Tōsen had reported, so he would not have to think about why he would want to be that close to Ulquiorra that he unconsciously moved into the man’s personal space as if the apathetic Arrancar had drawn him in. Even though deep down he knew that it was not the case, he would just tell himself that he only wanted to be that close to Ulquiorra because they had eaten too many low quality Hollows in one week that his subconscious mind demanded that he got himself a better quality food.

“Yeah, that’s right, I’m not attracted to him. I just want to eat him up,” Grimmjow muttered to himself. “Fuck! That doesn’t come out right either.”

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra quietly watched his blue-haired friend from afar and told himself that the wielder of Pantera only acted like he wanted to scream his head off because the man was frustrated that they were sent to that location for nothing. Knowing Grimmjow, Ulquiorra decided that the Sexta Espada would feel better after having been left to his own device to destroy something without being disturbed, so he decided to head for another direction and started his own search.

* * *

Even though he was supposed to concentrate on searching the area, the emerald-eyed Espada still glanced over to the direction of his partner from time to time. It was not because he did not trust Grimmjow to do his work properly, but it was because he wanted to check if the Sexta Espada’s mood had returned to normal. After all, the wielder of Pantera had been unusually frustrated since they arrived to the location.

During the whole week they had spent outside of Las Noches's wall, Grimmjow had gradually become less moody than when he normally appeared in the palace. In fact, aside from some curses here and there, Grimmjow was almost civilized. Ulquiorra figured it might have something to do with the fact that the mission gave Grimmjow some other things to do so he wouldn’t have to wander aimlessly in the hallways, looking for someone he could pick a fight with to get rid of the boredom. Therefore, for Grimmjow to stay mad for that long, there had to be some reasons.

Since there was no way that the raven-haired could have guessed that Grimmjow’s disposition had nothing to do with the situation and everything to do with him, he could only wonder what was the cause Grimmjow’s current mood.

The Cuarta Espada might have assumed that his colleague had lost his temper due to the fact that the area Lord Aizen had specifically asked them to investigate turned out to be empty. However, since the man appeared to be uncharacteristically calm when they first arrived at the area and found that it was empty and only began to act weird afterward, Ulquiorra wasn’t quite convinced that it was all because of their current situation.

Brushing the thought aside, Ulquiorra turned his focus back on searching for any hints or signs that might indicate that there used to be Hollows in that area. Grimmjow would come around soon enough and by himself, so there was no point for him to be concerned about the matter.

And certainly enough, his thought was confirmed when Grimmjow suddenly turned to his direction and shouted something that sounded like, “Hey, Ulquiorra! Come and take a look at this,” without showing any sign that he was still frustrated about anything. In fact, he even looked amused.

Since shouting back would be rather uncharacteristic of him, Ulquiorra simply headed toward Grimmjow to see what had got the man so excited and allowed the concern about Grimmjow’s behavior to slip out of his mind.

It wouldn’t be until much later that Ulquiorra would think that perhaps he should have paid more attention to Grimmjow’s strange behavior instead of just letting it go like he had done.

“What is it?” Ulquiorra asked once he was certain that he was within Grimmjow’s hearing range.

Grimmjow pointed at a stone plate on the ground right before him, so Ulquiorra walked to the Sexta Espada’s side and looked down.

“Those who trespass this place shall be eaten,” the wielder of Murciélago read. “And by whom exactly?”

“That’s what I wanna know too,” Grimmjow replied. “But you know, if this were some kind of crappy, cliché b-rated horror movie, some ugly Hollows will pop up out of nowhere right about now.”

“Well, then perhaps I should say that it is unfortunate for us that we are not in a ‘crappy, cliché b-rated horror movie’.”

The blue-haired man raised an eyebrow.

“I’m surprised,” he noted. “I thought you’d ask me what a ‘crappy, cliché b-rated horror movie’ is.”

Ulquiorra gave Grimmjow a look.

“I may not know much about human and Shinigami, but at the very least, I do possess some knowledge about their form of entertainment,” said the apathetic green-eyed Arrancar.

“As I said, this is a surprise,” the Sexta Espada noted. Then he added after he realized that Ulquiorra was still more or less glaring at him, “and I meant in a good way.”

A scowl on Ulquiorra’s face was deepened slightly as Grimmjow’s latter sentence made him realize that for some unknown reasons, he allowed the azure-eyed man’s word to get to him even though he had never had that problem before even when the Sexta Espada used much harsher insults. Since he couldn’t quite explain why, Ulquiorra decided that it might be an effect from their friendship. Thus, he made a mental note to ask Inoue Orihime about it after he returned to Las Noches, and then switched his attention back to the stone plate that Grimmjow had found.

“Anyway,” he said, “the fact that this sign is here means that Tosen-sama’s report was not completely wrong. Judging from how this plate has yet to be buried deep under the sand, this place must have been occupied until recently.”

“Yeah, but the question remains where the hell has the one who wrote this stupid warning disappeared to,” Grimmjow commented. “Seriously, they should’ve come out here and try to attack us already. Or maybe we have to release some reiatsu so they’ll know that someone has trespass the place?”

Not only did he suggest so, the wielder of Pantera also released some of his spiritual pressure.

“Do not release too much reiatsu. You might scare them off,” Ulquiorra stated. “Or if they have already been too far away, it would be a waste of energy.”

“I know that already,” Grimmjow snapped back before he stopped his action. “Alright, now let’s wait for someone to come and attack us.”

* * *

In the end, Ulquiorra found himself sitting on a huge rock, watching Grimmjow circling around the area like a caged tiger. Although the Sexta Espada was the one who insisted that they stayed there and waited to see if anyone would return to carry out that warning, he was obviously frustrated that he couldn’t simply desert that area.

As he felt that he would soon have a headache from watching Grimmjow’s repeated action, Ulquiorra decided to shut his eyes for a moment. And it seemed that the Sexta Espada himself got tired of doing so soon enough, as Ulquiorra could sense the man walking up to his direction and then sat down right next to him on that rock.

“Are you bored of circling around already?” Ulquiorra asked without opening his eyes.

Grimmjow appeared to be a little taken aback, when he stated, “I thought you’ve already fallen asleep.”

“No, but I felt that if I kept watching you, I’d have a headache, so I decided to rest my eyes for a moment,” replied the wielder of Murciélago.

The blue-haired man chuckled.

“I can’t imagine that anything could drive you to the point of having a headache,” he commented. “But anyway, taking about eyes, what is the longest length of time that your eye can record and replay stuff?”

“Hm... I never actually timed it, so I don’t really know,” Ulquiorra replied in all. “Why did you ask?”

Grimmjow shrugged.

“I just thought that if Aizen asked to see everything that happened in this mission, he’d probably be bored to death,” he said.

“If that is the case, I will only show him important moments,” Ulquiorra stated.

“Does that mean you can edit things out as well?”

“Yes, so rest assure that I will not bother Aizen-sama with any trivial matters,” said the Cuarta Espada, “like how you always address him without any honorific, for example.”

The Sexta Espada turned slightly to eye Ulquiorra crossly, only to see that the shorter man had yet to open his eyes. Therefore, he snorted.

“It’s not like I’d care if he’d ever find out about that. Besides, this is Aizen we’re talking about, so the guy’s probably known about how I behave behind his back already,” the wielder of Pantera said before he raised an eyebrow and gave his friend a lopsided grin. “However, since you mention it, I can’t help wondering if it’s my imagination or you really did offer to cover my ass?”

“Like I said earlier, I would not trouble Aizen-sama with any trivial matters.”

The grin on Grimmjow’s face went smugger, as the blue-eyed man got into the mood to tease the emotionless man before him.

“Oh, come on, there’s no need to be shy. You can just admit that you like me, Ulquiorra.”

The last sentence from Grimmjow managed to make Ulquiorra open his green eyes and turn to look at him.

“Like you?” the Cuarta Espada repeated. Having been challenged suddenly by that sentence from Grimmjow, he found it difficult to give the man an immediate response. After all, he still did not know much about feelings and only have a really vague idea about what like and dislike actually were.

Seeing a puzzled look behind those emerald eyes, the Sexta Espada felt even smugger. Although he told himself that he couldn’t care less whether Ulquiorra actually liked him or not, it was still fun to see how the normally calm and composed individual struggled to answer such a simple question.

Ulquiorra definitely took everything way too seriously.

“Yeah, ‘like’,” he prompted. “You know what that is, right?”

Since Grimmjow didn’t bother to give him a hint, Ulquiorra had to try to recall the definition that he got from a certain ginger-haired woman, and from what he gathered ‘like’ involved enjoying doing something or being with someone and preferring to do so again should there be a chance.

“Hmm... well... I no longer find spending time with you bothersome or uncomfortable, so—”

“Wait a minute!” Grimmjow interjected, not waiting to hear the rest of Ulquiorra’s sentence. “What the fuck do you mean ‘no longer’? Is that supposed to mean you found me irritating before?”

Once Grimmjow finished his question, he wished he hadn’t asked since the answer was already clear to him when he thought about it more carefully. They had hated one another until very recently, so there was no way that Ulquiorra would not have found his presence bothersome. Therefore, to ask that question made it seem as if he was bothered by how Ulquiorra thought about him in the past, when he shouldn’t have cared about it at all.

And if that alone was not enough for him to regret asking, then there was also the fact that Ulquiorra responded to the question with a blunt, “Yes.”

“Yeah, I was stupid to ask anyway,” Grimmjow muttered to himself, mentally slapping himself upside the head.

“But as I said earlier, I no longer find spending time with you bothersome.”

“So you do like me?” the Sexta Espada asked again, although he wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to hear Ulquiorra confirm it so bad. After all, it was not as if he cared what Ulquiorra felt or did not feel about him. He could not care less if Ulquiorra hated him... or so he told himself as he felt his pulse quicken while waiting for an answer.

However, no reply came from the green-eyed Arrancar as the man suddenly furrowed his eyebrows and got to his feet.

Grimmjow would have thought Ulquiorra was acting shy if it hadn’t been for a fact that he sensed some strong spiritual presence coming their way. Of course, those presences were nowhere near as strong as theirs, but he could still identify them as Adjuchas-class, so it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for battle.

“Jeez, just when things are getting interesting,” Grimmjow grumbled. “Oh, what the hell, I’ll just kill them all anyway.”

Both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had to jump away from their spots as they were suddenly greeted by a shot of Cero from one of the ten Adjuchas Hollows that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“I’ll take this half, so you take the other,” Ulquiorra said, motioning to his left. “Try not to get in my way.”

Grimmjow snorted. “Che. That’s my line.”

With that sort of agreement, each Espada moved to a different direction just before those Adjuchas had a chance to make another attack.

* * *

Needless to say, the Adjuchas Hollows were nothing in comparison to the two Espadas even though there were ten of them, and all of them were at least two times bigger than the Espadas in size.

As he usually did in battles against those he deemed useless, Ulquiorra didn’t bother to pull his hands out of his hakama pockets, much less drew his sword. However, despite how small and delicate he might appear to his opponents, the Cuarta Espada was indeed very strong that he had no problem taking down those Adjuchas-level Hollows down by just a few kicks.

Grimmjow, on the other hand, seemed to have fun beating up the Hollows. After all, his specialty lay in destruction, so he couldn’t see anything wrong with using his victims as punching bags to relieve all the stress that had been built up recently.

After all Hollows were defeated, Grimmjow took a look around to see if any of them were still alive after having taken such severe beatings. It was then that he saw that the Hollow that appeared to be the group leader was still alive, although very barely.

“And to think you wrote that warning,” Grimmjow noted, rolling his eyes. “Maybe I should make you tonight’s dinner.”

However, before Grimmjow could deliver a finishing blow, Ulquiorra appeared by his side and stopped him with a soft touch on his back hand, just like the man once did when he came to stop him from releasing his zanpakutō against a Visored who came to Kurosaki Ichigo’s rescue.

“This one is rather strong,” Ulquiorra noted and then let go of Grimmjow’s hand once he knew that Grimmjow would not do anything hasty. “Remember what we’re here for.”

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. If it were up to him, he would rather do away with that Hollow, but when he recalled what they were sent out there to do, he sighed.

“Fine, then, if you think he’s worth it,” the Sexta said, shrugging.

Looking down to the Hollow, Ulquiorra remarked, “Since you appear to be quite strong, we will give you a chance. Take this to Las Noches, the big white fortress in the middle of the desert, and ask for Aizen-sama’s audience. He will decide whether you’re worthy enough to be granted with more power and position in our troop.”

With that said, Ulquiorra dropped a small pass in front of the Hollow then turned to his companion.

“I think we’re done here.”

* * *

As they found it unpleasant to stay around the place that had so many dead Hollows lying around, the Espadas decided to find some place else to rest for that night. While they both quietly did their tasks in setting up a camp, Grimmjow came to reflect what happened earlier before they were ambushed by the Adjuchas Hollows.

To think that he was actually so eager to hear that Ulquiorra liked him to the point that he was pissed off to be interrupted by those Hollows was extremely embarrassing. The only consolation he had was that Ulquiorra didn’t seem to catch on with that fact, but even so, he still couldn’t help feeling mortified by his own action.

He didn’t know why he should be so excited and nervous to hear that answer like some lovesick schoolgirl who was waiting to hear a response from her crush after having made a grand confession when he was not a lovesick schoolgirl, nor was Ulquiorra his crush, and he had definitely not confessed to Ulquiorra. Not to mention that even if Ulquiorra actually admitted to liking him, it would completely be a platonic feeling, so there was nothing worth being excited about.

Of course, that didn’t mean that he wished to hear that Ulquiorra held a romantic feeling for him either. In fact, he could not imagine the apathetic Espada professing his undying love to him, and even if he could, he was still unable to picture himself being affected by that action. After all, he was not a novice in the game of love. He had been confessed to for so many times that he didn’t care to remember, and none of those confessions had ever made his heart beat faster.

Therefore, the only explanation he could give to himself at that time was that he had spent too many days in the desert that his brain got severely damaged by the cold and the sand, or otherwise he would never have acted as if he wanted Ulquiorra to like him.

“Shit! I’ve gotta stop thinking weird stuff or it’d certainly get awkward,” Grimmjow said to himself as he looked at the tent he had just finished setting up.

Shaking his head as if he could get rid of all strange thoughts by doing so, the Sexta Espada then walked to join his raven-haired companion who was roasting two huge chunks of Hollow meat by the campfire.

Seeing that his blue-haired friend had sat down beside him, Ulquiorra offered the man one stick of meat. “This one is for you.”

“Thanks.”

With that, the Espadas quietly roasted their share of meat until Ulquiorra broke the silence.

“By the way, Grimmjow, about what you asked me earlier.”

Grimmjow blinked. He didn’t think he had asked Ulquiorra anything at all except—

“I’ve been thinking that if ‘like’ means having positive feeling when being around you and not finding the thought of repeating the activity unpleasant,” he said, and Grimmjow couldn’t help feeling his heart skip a beat when Ulquiorra continued, “then perhaps, I do like you.”


	8. Chapter 8

Grimmjow’s eyes became as wide as a saucer as he looked at Ulquiorra, and he had to gulp when he saw how the emerald-eyed Espada crawled his way slowly towards him. That whole setting felt so surreal to him.

“Um...Ulquiorra... did you just say what I thought you said?”

Grimmjow could feel his sweat dropped when Ulquiorra nodded and gave him a smile. Just because of the fact that the ever so serious Ulquiorra smiled, no matter how small that smile really was, was enough to convince him that the Apocalypse was approaching.

“Yes, I said I liked you,” Ulquiorra replied calmly, as he stopped to sit right in front of Grimmjow. Something deep down told the Sexta Espada that something was definitely not right and what he was experiencing could absolutely not be real, yet he could not stop his pulse from racing when the Cuarta Espada reached his hand out to touch his chest and asked, “and you like me too, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t,” the blue-eyed Espada replied without any hesitation.

“You’re definitely lying,” Ulquiorra countered, tracing his hand sensually down Grimmjow’s torso. “I can feel your heart beating so fast right now.”

Grimmjow purred despite himself, but as soon as he realized what was happening he quickly caught Ulquiorra’s hand and pulled it away from his body.

“What the fuck are you doing, Ulquiorra? This isn’t like you!”

Ulquiorra, however, didn’t seem to budge.

“I don’t think you have any idea what I am really like, Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra said with a sultry tone. “Now why don’t you just admit that you like me, so we can get on with it?”

Grimmjow shivered. “Get on with what?”

“You don’t have to act so innocent, Grimmjow, you know what I’m talking about.”

The blue-eyed Arrancar gulped.

“That’s right, I’m talking about sex or lovemaking, whichever you prefer,” the Cuarta Espada confirmed his friend’s thought. “I was told that it is what people do when they like each other. Now where should we start? Kissing, perhaps?”

Not only did he ask, Ulquiorra also dove in and captured Grimmjow’s lips with his own while pushing the blue-haired man down to the ground.

It took all of his strength to break the forced kiss and push Ulquiorra off him, yet even then, the Sexta Espada wasn’t sure how long he could keep Ulquiorra away. He didn’t know what happened to Ulquiorra or if there was something wrong in the food the guy had just ate to make him act so uncharacteristically, but whatever drove the man to act in that way, it was definitely not funny.

“Shit! I never believe I’ll ever say this in my life, but stop joking around, Ulquiorra!” Grimmjow said as he tried to get away from Ulquiorra’s iron grip. “This ain’t funny.”

“Well, it’s not supposed to be because I am not joking, Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra replied in a serious tone. His green eyes were darkened with what Grimmjow wouldn’t dare define as desire. “I am very serious about this.”

With that said, Ulquiorra pushed Grimmjow down again. The smile that he put on his face earlier became sinister as he remarked, “Don’t worry, Grimmjow, I have studied all of the mechanisms of sex, so you can leave it to me. I’ll even be gentle...”

* * *

**_“NOOOOOOOO!”_ **

Grimmjow screamed at the top of his lung as he shot up from where he lay. He could hear his heart beating so loudly while he tried to catch his breath. Strangely enough, Ulquiorra was no longer holding him down or trying to touch him in any strange places. In fact, the man appeared to be sleeping rather peacefully with his back turn towards Grimmjow’s direction even though Grimmjow was sure his shouting could have woken anything within a ten-mile radius.

“Shit! Not that stupid nightmare again,” the Sexta Espada said as he wiped away a sweat on his forehead with the back of his head. No wonder he was acting so meek while Ulquiorra was uncharacteristically bold in his advance. “And what the fuck is with this guy, still sleeping so soundly after all that?”

The blue-haired man narrowed his eyes as he stared at his sleeping companion with malice, mentally blaming him for his nightmare. He wasn’t sure how Ulquiorra managed to sleep through the whole episode as being the fourth best warrior in Aizen’s army, Ulquiorra had always been very well aware of his surroundings, that he would wake up at the second he sensed something out of the ordinary. Ulquiorra had to be really used to Grimmjow’s presence to be able to sleep through Grimmjow’s tossing, turning and, later, screaming. Either that, or Grimmjow was really ignorable to him.

“Well, on the bright side, I don’t have to tell him I woke up because I dreamed that he jumped me. That’d be too humiliating,” Grimmjow told himself. “Why the fuck do I keep having that dream anyway? It doesn’t make any sense. That guy’s asexual for all I know.”

It was also then that Grimmjow glanced down and realized that he was a little more “excited” by that dream than he first thought.

“Shit! This is so fucked up,” he muttered. “Maybe it’s really time I joined Nnoitra’s perverted club.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep in that state, Grimmjow decided that it would be better for him to get out of the tent that he shared with Ulquiorra and try to cool his head before he returned, and he knew just where he needed to be.

* * *

Grimmjow walked quietly passed a few quartz trees that stood in his way from the campsite to the small canal he and Ulquiorra had located earlier before they decided to settle for the night.

A week had passed since the Cuarta Espada told him that he liked him, and ever since then, every time Grimmjow went to sleep, he would have some sorts of erotic dreams that usually ended up with Ulquiorra trying to have his way with him. And those dreams would keep him up for the rest of the night, as he felt too awkward to go back to sleep next to Ulquiorra after he dreamed that he was molested by the guy.

Those dreams might have something to do with the fact that he didn’t have time to tend to his “need” during the time he was on a mission with Ulquiorra, but that alone still didn’t answer why of all people he could have dreamed about, it had to be the apathetic Espada every time.

Some would say that a dream was a way to express one’s suppressed desire, but Grimmjow would definitely not agree to that. After all, admitting to that would mean that he desired to have relation with Ulquiorra. Not that the thought was particularly dreadful by itself, but the fact that the dream also meant he wanted to be a bottom in said relation made Grimmjow cringe and tell himself he would rather die than admit to that.

“Like hell I’d ever be a bottom,” Grimmjow said with a shudder.

It didn’t take long until Grimmjow reached to the canal that was his destination. He bent down to test the water’s temperature with his hand. Deciding that it wasn’t too cold, the Sexta Espada discarded his clothes on the bank of the canal before he jumped in.

He later dove under the water, hoping that by doing so he would be able to cool his head and get his mind out of the gutter. Once he submerged his head completely, Grimmjow closed his eyes and allowed his mind to travel back to the point where his recurring dream had first taken place. Somehow he had to be surprised that even though it had been a week since then, he could still remember the whole incident clearly as if it had just happened the day before...

‘...perhaps I do like you,’ Ulquiorra remarked solemnly.

Grimmjow could hear a soft thud coming from somewhere near him, but it wasn’t until Ulquiorra pointed, ‘Your meat just fell into the fire,’ that he realized where the sound came from.

When he came to think about it again, Grimmjow had to say that his response was rather retarded since he only replied with a, ‘Huh?’

‘Your meat,’ Ulquiorra repeated and motioned to the campfire before he continued slowly as if giving an explanation to a child, ‘it fell into the fire, so you should try to get it out before it was burned completely.’

Grimmjow jumped a bit as he realized what Ulquiorra was talking about.

‘Oh, the meat!’ he replied, as he quickly attempted to remove it from the fire with the stick. However, the Sexta Espada suddenly recalled that there was a more important subject at hand, so he dropped the stick and turned to Ulquiorra. ‘Wait! Who gives a shit about the damn meat? Did you just say you liked me?’

‘Yes, I did,’ the Cuarta Espada confirmed. ‘And what’s wrong with that?’

Grimmjow shook his head. How did he expect Ulquiorra to act? That the black-haired man would avoid meeting his eyes and reply in a shy voice, blushing? That was sick. Real sick.

‘Nothing,’ Grimmjow replied curtly, leaving the “but I’m sure there’s definitely something wrong with me” out of his sentence.

‘If that is the case, then why did you act surprised?’

‘I didn’t _act_ surprised. I _was_ surprised,’ the Sexta Espada claimed. ‘Heck, I never expected you to actually say that you like me.’

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrow. ‘Is it unusual for friends to say that they like one another?’

‘Generally, no,’ Grimmjow replied with a shrug. However, he saw a puzzled look in Ulquiorra’s green eyes and realized that the Cuarta Espada would continue to ask him to explain why he acted that way if it was normal, so he was not off the hook yet. Once again, he cursed Ulquiorra for always having to be so rational. ‘But it’s still weird to hear that you like me after I’ve been living under the impression that you hate my guts for so long, you know? I mean, just think about it, Ulquiorra, how would you react if I said I liked you out of the blue.’

Ulquiorra blinked for a couple of times before he decided to put his stick of meat aside before he turned to meet Grimmjow’s eyes and asked in a serious manner, ‘Do you?’

Confused, Grimmjow had to ask, ‘Do I what?’

‘Like me, of course,’ Ulquiorra clarified.

Grimmjow blinked twice before he raised his hand up to scratch the back of his head. He didn’t know why the question could make him so agitated when he could tell for sure that there was no hidden meaning behind it. Even so, he still found it difficult to answer that simple question.

As it took his blue-haired friend a long time to come up with a reply, Ulquiorra took that time to remove the meat that Grimmjow had dropped earlier from the fire out before it could actually burn. Then he put it aside with his own portion of meat. He didn’t prompt Grimmjow to respond quickly, but simply wait quietly for the answer to come.

‘Well... yeah... I guess...’ Grimmjow replied eventually, although it was hard for him to define what kind of like it actually was.

Ulquiorra seemed to have taken it all in a rather calm manner. He appeared to be in a deep thought when he looked down to the sand, trying to judge his own reaction to Grimmjow’s reply. It took him a moment to finally look up to face his blue-haired friend.

‘I don’t feel that it was weird at all,’ the Cuarta Espada commented.

Apparently, the answer didn’t please the Sexta Espada at all, since he rolled his eyes before he turned away from Ulquiorra and muttered, ‘Yeah, right. Do you even feel anything aside from occasional curiosity anyway?’

As he didn’t expect Ulquiorra to catch what he had uttered earlier, let alone reply to it, the blue-eyed Espada face-palmed when his green-eyed companion supplied, ‘I sometimes find things irritating.’

He had to wonder if Ulquiorra truly had no idea that some questions should be left unanswered, but then he came to a conclusion that the Cuarta Espada was really that much inept when it came to interacting with others, so he sighed.

‘I didn’t really expect an answer for that question, you know.’

‘Then why did you bother to ask?’

Grimmjow felt like hitting his head on the nearest rock, but he knew hurting himself would not fix the way Ulquiorra was, so he stopped it as a thought. As he couldn’t find a good comeback to that question, in the end, all he could say was, ‘Never mind.’

The apathetic Arrancar tilted his head slightly as he observed his companion. Sometimes, Grimmjow’s actions did not make any sense to him, but that was perhaps one of the reasons he was so drawn to that man. They were, after all, from very different ends of the spectrum, and once he got past the irritation Grimmjow usually made him feel, he found the man to be some kind of enigma that he wanted to solve.

Brushing that thought aside, the wielder of Murciélago turned his attention back to the subject at hand, ‘Anyway, what now?’

The wielder of Pantera furrowed his brows. ‘What do you mean “what now”?’

‘I mean what comes after becoming friends and liking one another?’ Ulquiorra explained himself before he turned to pick up the meat he had put aside earlier and began nibbling on it.

Grimmjow scratched the back of his neck. ‘Hanging out and doing stuff together, I think.’

Swallowing his meat, Ulquiorra inquired, ‘Isn’t that the same as before?’

‘Yeah, but what else do you expect to come out of friendship?’ Grimmjow remarked, and once he saw that Ulquiorra moved his lips as if to reply to it, he quickly interjected, ‘That question also didn’t need an answer, by the way.’

‘Oh...so basically, you’re saying that there is nothing more to friendship than that then?’

The Sexta Espada shrugged.

‘Yeah. Why, Ulquiorra? Do you expect something more from it?’

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows in a thoughtful expression, but after a moment, he gingerly shook his head and replied, ‘Not exactly. I just assumed that there might be something more to it, but of course, that could be my misunderstanding.’

Grimmjow shrugged.

‘Well, there’s nothing else to it, so congratulations. You’ve learned all there is to learn about friendship,’ Grimmjow stated, yet even though he should be glad that the so-called experiment would come to an end, and things would finally return to the way it was like he always wished; there was a part of him that felt somewhat lonely by the thought. He always told himself that the sooner he could get himself out of that experiment would be the better, yet when he sensed the end approaching, the wielder of Pantera found himself not wanting to let go.

‘I suppose you are correct,’ Ulquiorra agreed. ‘There is no point in continuing with something when nothing should ever come from it.’

‘Yeah,’ Grimmjow agreed, although every word seemed to make it harder for him to breathe. ‘Cuz that’d be pointless, ain’t it?’

‘That’s right, but...’ For the first time since they had known each other, Grimmjow believed Ulquiorra actually looked troubled. The man even took his time to look at the meat in his hand as if it might help him come up with what to say next.

‘But?’ Grimmjow prompted, not really understanding himself why that single word seemed to lift his spirit when he had always wished Ulquiorra’s so-called experiment would finally end so they could return to what they had been before, which was colleagues who happened to hate each other’s guts.

As the raven-haired Espada shook his head and replied with the word “nothing,” the Sexta Espada sighed softly.

‘Oh, well, in that case, I guess I have to say it was good while it lasted,’ Grimmjow commented, ignoring the tightness he felt in his chest. ‘Anyway, I’m turning in for the night.’

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows in disapproval.

‘But still haven’t eaten anything.’

Grimmjow shook his head. ‘I don’t have an appetite.’

‘Even so, you should still eat,’ the Cuarta Espada commented. ‘After all, we have spent some spiritual energy fighting those Hollows earlier.’

Rolling his eyes, Grimmjow remarked, ‘I’ll eat later when I feel like it. Happy now?’

Once again, Ulquiorra seemed to be puzzled by Grimmjow’s action, but he didn’t make any comment on it and simply said, ‘Alright, if you insist so then, have a good night, Grimmjow.’

‘Yeah, you enjoy your meal,’ the Sexta Espada replied before he headed to the tent. However, before he entered the tent, he stopped for a moment as if to consider whether he should say what he would say next. Then he decided it wouldn’t hurt to say, ‘By the way, Ulquiorra, if you come up with a new experiment, let me know, okay? I might be interested to help.’

And without waiting for Ulquiorra’s reply, Grimmjow headed into the tent...

* * *

After he felt that he would be suffocated if he should hold his breath any longer, Grimmjow emerged from the water and heaved for air.

Could it be that he had those dreams because deep down, there was a part of him that didn’t want that experiment to be over? Could it be that somehow he wanted to hold on to their trial friendship even though he never intended to be in it or for it to last at first? Could it be that he hoped that Ulquiorra would insist that they bring their experimental relationship to the next level instead?

Grimmjow shook his head, making water splash around him.

It was a miracle enough that Ulquiorra still treated him the same way he had treated him since their friendship experiment had started even though said experiment was supposed to have already been over. To hope that the Cuarta Espada would want to pursue their relationship now that both of them agreed there was no point in keeping up his friendship experiment would be asking for too much. After all, knowing, Ulquiorra, the man would prefer to be all by himself, so the only way to change that was to make him be interested enough in the idea of having relationship, but that would certainly be difficult.

“Nah, scratch difficult. Make that impossible,” he muttered.

“What is impossible?”

Since he thought he was alone in the area, the question made Grimmjow jump from his position, and that sudden movement caused him to lose his footing and fall under the water for a moment before he emerged again and spit the water out of his mouth. He then looked to the bank of the canal and saw Ulquiorra sitting there, looking at him with interest.

“Ulquiorra!” he exclaimed. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“For a while,” Ulquiorra replied vaguely. “I must say I am a little surprised to find you here, however. I never expect that you would enjoy taking a long bath.”

Furrowing his brows, Grimmjow snapped, “What? Do I impress you as a dirty, smelly man or something?”

“Not really,” Ulquiorra replied. “Cats are known for their cleanliness, after all. However, it is also known that they do not particularly like water.”

“I ain’t a cat!” Grimmjow snarled. “What the fuck is with you and comparing me to one anyway?”

The raven-haired Arrancar looked somewhat amused by his friend’s reaction.

“Because you  _are_  one no matter how much you deny it,” Ulquiorra remarked in a matter-of-fact tone.

If it were anyone else who made that comment, Grimmjow was sure he would already be out of the water to kill that person by then, but since it was Ulquiorra, he simply glared at the man.

“You’re never gonna change that thought, are you?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “No.”

“Why am I not surprised to hear that?” Grimmjow rolled his eyes. Moving to the bank where Ulquiorra was sitting, he asked, “Anyway, why are you looking for me? Do we have to get going already?”

“No, you can take your time. I was just curious as to where you could have been since I didn’t see you around the camp, but then I found these,” Ulquiorra motioned to Grimmjow’s discarded clothes. “So I waited to see that you didn’t drown in that canal, even though the water was only around your chest deep.”

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow before he said in a teasing tone, “Oh? Don’t tell me you were worried about me.”

“As a matter of fact, I was,” the Cuarta Espada replied earnestly. “You’ve been acting rather strangely in this past couple of days.”

Even though he knew that Ulquiorra was right, Grimmjow still asked, “Have I?”

“You should know the answer to that better than anyone,” was the stoic Arrancar’s response. “So should I inquire what’s wrong?”

Grimmjow did not reply right away. Instead, he turned away from Ulquiorra and leaned his head against the bank and looked up to the dark sky in a relaxed post. Still not meeting Ulquiorra’s eyes, the Sexta Espada replied with a half-serious-half-joking tone, “Not unless you’re prepared to hear the answer.”

That answer seemed to have caught Ulquiorra’s attention somehow, since the Cuarta Espada leaned over, so that he could look at Grimmjow’s face when he asked in a rather concerned voice, “How bad can your answer be?”

Turning to the side so that he didn’t have to face Ulquiorra, Grimmjow replied, “Bad enough to keep me up all night at least.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows. It was difficult for him to imagine what could have kept that fearless individual awake at nights. “It must be really serious, then?”

Grimmjow chuckled dryly before he turned around to give Ulquiorra a shrug.

“Nah, not really. But if you really hafta know, I’m sexually frustrated,” the Sexta Espada replied, even surprising himself how frank he was even though he kept his tone light. But since he had already said it, he decided to continue, “You know, I haven’t got any since we were out of Las Noches, so... well, you’re a guy too, so you should know what I mean without me having to explain...” Seeing Ulquiorra’s expression, Grimmjow grimaced. “...or maybe not.”

Ulquiorra rubbed his chin. He didn’t really know how they managed to get to that subject, but he didn’t think it was strange, since from what he knew, friends should be able to share all kind of information, even if it was supposed to be a private matter.

“I understand the concept of copulation,” the Cuarta Espada claimed. “What I do not understand, however, is why even someone as strong as you are would allow such a pointless act to have a control over them.”

“Did you just call sex pointless?” Grimmjow asked incredulously. A part of him wondered what planet Ulquiorra was actually from.

“For us Hollows at least,” Ulquiorra stated firmly.

The Sexta couldn’t know how he should react to that remark, so he decided to just ask, “Why is that?”

“Because the only reason for copulation is to reproduce, and Hollows cannot reproduce,” the Cuarta Espada replied. “Therefore, to do so would only serve to waste one’s time, so why can I not call it pointless?”

Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra as though the guy had just grown a few more horns on his head.

“Wasting time? Seriously? How can you just say that?” Narrowing his blue eyes, Grimmjow grinned. “Ah... I see... it’s because you’ve never actually tried it,” he accused. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Ulquiorra didn’t have to say anything for Grimmjow to know that he was right, as the way the man gaped at him like a fish out of the water was more than enough to be an answer.

If he were to be honest, the Sexta Espada didn’t find it surprising at all. After all, for a man who labeled most things he encountered as trash, it would be impossible for Ulquiorra to be so strongly attracted to anyone or anything that he would give in to the desire and committed the action he defined as pointless. Not to mention, Grimmjow always thought of Ulquiorra as an asexual being, so it would be more shocking to him if Ulquiorra had actually done the deed.

Feeling a little smug, Grimmjow turned to face Ulquiorra with half-lidded eyes, then he drawled with his most sensual tone, “Seriously, Ulquiorra, you haven’t any idea how much you’ve missed out just because of that thought.”

“I doubt there would be much to miss from something pointless in the first place,” Ulquiorra said. Somehow, he didn’t like where the conversation was going, so he decided that he should simply get up and leave Grimmjow to his own device. “Anyway, I should go and allow you to relax in your bath.”

However, before he could do so, he was stopped by Grimmjow’s firm grip on his wrist.

“Not so fast, Ulquiorra, I don’t think we’re done with our discussion.”

“What else is there to discuss about it?” the Cuarta Espada wondered.

Although he knew that Ulquiorra would not go anywhere then, Grimmjow still kept his grip tight on the man’s wrist just to make sure.

“Well, a lot of thing,” Grimmjow replied. Staring deep into Ulquiorra’s green eyes, he continued, “like how can you be so sure if you never give it a try.”

Ulquiorra glared at the hand on his wrist when he replied, “If I have to try doing all pointless things just to prove that they are pointless, I would have no time to do anything else.”

The Sexta Espada quirked an eyebrow as if to challenge that sentence.

“Oh? Are you sure you didn’t just say that because you’re too afraid to try it out?”

It would not be the first time that Ulquiorra would regret allowing the blue-haired Arrancar to get under his skin, but the Cuarta Espada didn’t think through his words when he replied, “I am not afraid.”

Grimmjow’s blue eyes were darkened as a satisfied grin appeared on his face. He would find something to blame for his impulse later, but at that moment, he couldn’t refrain himself from using his best seductive tone to suggest, “If that’s so, why don’t you give it a try, then?”

Without waiting for Ulquiorra’s reply, Grimmjow yanked the wrist he had been holding. Taking the chance that Ulquiorra had lost his balance and had no choice but to fall downward, Grimmjow quickly sealed away whatever kind of complaint the Cuarta Espada had with a sensual kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

Widening his green eyes was the first response Ulquiorra had to Grimmjow’s action. He had learned it long before that the Sexta Espada could be very stubborn when he tried to get his point across, but Ulquiorra never really expected that the man would suddenly pull him down by the wrist and steal his kiss.

Yes, he knew what a kiss was, or at least in theory anyway.

The second response was placing his free hand on Grimmjow’s broad shoulder to keep his balance, vaguely aware how the skin he touched was colder than the lips that were pressing against his, though slightly warmer than the hand that was holding his wrist and the fingertips that rested on the nape of his neck.

From the look of things, he had three options. One, he could Cero that blue head point-blank for the uncalled-for action, but Lord Aizen would probably not be pleased to know that one of his precious Espadas was killed over a stupid reason. Two, he could push Grimmjow off, but by doing so, there was a high chance that he would lose his balance and fall into that canal. Or three, he could just go with the flow and allow Grimmjow to try and disprove his idea that a sexual relation between Hollows was pointless.

While Ulquiorra pondered on how he should react, Grimmjow slowly opened his eyes and pulled back just enough to see a serious, thoughtful look on the normally expressionless face.

He had to give it to Ulquiorra to be able to reflect on that situation when everyone else would have already followed their instinct and responded by that time by either returning his kiss or hitting him squarely in the face (although the latter case never actually happened because Grimmjow had never had to steal a kiss from anyone before, and even if that should have happened, he was certain that he was skillful enough in that department that he could make his target yield to his desire.)

But then again, Grimmjow had always suspected that Ulquiorra might have come from a whole different planet from him, so that could also be a reason for the man to be able to remain that unfazed.

“You know, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow commented as he, albeit hesitantly, let go of Ulquiorra, “if you don’t feel like doing it, you can just refuse. It’s not like you’re under some kind of obligation to reciprocate.”

It was just going to hurt Grimmjow’s pride... a lot.

Contrary to what Grimmjow had expected, Ulquiorra didn’t try to get away right at the moment he let go. In fact, the Cuarta Espada still sat there, with one hand on Grimmjow’s shoulder and another hanging where Grimmjow released it. His expression showed that he was still very much perplexed by the whole episode.

“Hmm?” Ulquiorra uttered. The word ‘obligation’ somehow reminded him of the conversation he had had with Inoue Orihime before he departed from Las Noches. “But I was told that it was normal for friends to engage in this kind of activity.”

Of course that could be another reason why Ulquiorra wasn’t so troubled that he was kissed. He was just led to believe that it was something that friends normally did together. It took a few more seconds for the earlier statements to register to Grimmjow, and he could only drop his jaw afterward.

“Who told you that crap? Ichimaru?”

Somehow Ichimaru Gin was the only person he could think of that would be twisted enough to feed Ulquiorra with that ridiculous idea, which was the more reason why Grimmjow wanted to skin that Shinigami alive.

“Actually, it was the woman.”

“The woman?” The Sexta Espada blinked. There was only one person who was referred to by that term, and it was Inoue Orihime. To think that he had once viewed her as innocent and harmless, but perhaps it was his own fault to have judged the book by its cover. That woman was probably more wicked than he ever gave her the credit for, but that wasn’t what he was supposed to be concerned with at the moment.

“Was she wrong?” Ulquiorra inquired as he saw a strange expression from his friend.

“Not exactly...I suppose there are some people who would help their friends take care of their libidos,” Grimmjow replied.

Ulquiorra furrowed his thick brows slightly before he remarked, “Alright, then, in that case, let’s do it.”

“Huh?” Grimmjow was sure it wasn’t the first time he couldn’t catch Ulquiorra’s drift, and he was also sure that it wouldn’t be the last.

The Cuarta Espada looked at his companion with a look that said the man was stupid to have asked.

“Sex, I mean.”

Ulquiorra’s bluntness made Grimmjow choke. The only time that Ulquiorra had been that forward in his advance was in Grimmjow’s dreams, and that scene was starting to feel like one, except for the fact that Ulquiorra didn’t jump him right after he made that suggestion.

“Haven’t you just said it was pointless a moment ago?”

Once again, Ulquiorra gave Grimmjow an ‘are you stupid’ look.

“That I did, but were you not the one who tried to convince me that there are some points to it and that I should try doing it once before I pass my judgment?”

“I was, but you weren’t so enthusiastic about it then,” the Sexta Espada observed, “so what makes you change your mind?”

“I don’t recall rejecting you in the first place.”

And when Grimmjow came to think about it again, he realized that Ulquiorra was right. The man hadn’t rejected his advance. He was simply taking too long to make up his mind that Grimmjow had almost lost his mood – just almost.

“So you’re saying you wanna try having sex?”

“If your offer still stands.”

“Of course, it does,” Grimmjow replied.

Regaining the courage he had lost just a moment earlier, Grimmjow put his game face back on. His left hand reached up to rest on the side of Ulquiorra’s waist while his right took its place at Ulquiorra’s nape and guided the man toward him in a much less forceful manner than when he had stolen what might have been Ulquiorra’s very first kiss. However, just before he claimed Ulquiorra lips again, Grimmjow stopped and asked just to make sure, “Are you sure you really want to do it?”

“I already said that I did, didn’t I?” Ulquiorra replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Although he believed the reason Ulquiorra would be irritated had more to do with the fact that Grimmjow doubted his resolve than because the Cuarta Espada might crave to be kissed, his ego was still boosted up by several folds.

“Yeah, you did.”

“So why do you still need to ask?”

Grimmjow chuckled.

“I’m just trying to be nice by giving you the last chance to back off, ‘coz after this, I ain’t gonna stop even if you beg me to.”

And with that last word, Grimmjow leaned forward to Ulquiorra so they could pick up from where they had left off.

* * *

The whole area suddenly become pitch-black right when Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were about to kiss for the second time, causing the silver-haired Shinigami who had been watching them from a monitor to cry out in frustration, “Aw, gee, not a blackout!”

All lights in the room went on right after Ichimaru Gin made his complaint; however, much to his disappointment, the television screen did not turn back on together with the lights.

“It’s not a blackout, Gin. I just turned the TV off,” was an explanation from the brown-haired man who was sitting on a white chair, holding a remote control.

“But why, taichō? Our favorite telenovela is just about to turn x-rated.”

Aizen gave his subordinate a side glance.

“You’ve just answered your own question, Gin. I may be a lot of things, but a pervert is not one of them.”

Ichimaru scratched his head and wondered how Aizen could still say so after they had been stalking the two Espadas with a camcorder ever since the two had left the ground of Las Noches.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he muttered under his breath.

Aizen put on his trademarked gentle-yet-evil smile on his face before he explained as if he could read Ichimaru’s mind, “I only watched them for the comedy, not for something like this. However, I must say I never thought you would even want to continue watching it, Gin. I always thought you were into women.”

“Well, you should’ve known by now that I’m always open-minded, Aizen-taichō,” the lieutenant countered lightly.

Aizen rubbed his chin. He could never tell when Gin was serious or when he was joking, but he doubted it really mattered in that case.

“Ah, that is probably true. However, if you really are interested in that type of thing, I suggest you go to Nnoitra’s quarters and borrow one of his AV collections instead,” Aizen suggested. “We should give those two at least that much of privacy. After all, we still have to work with them at least until the war is over.”

Ichimaru’s smile broadened.

“Are you sure you’re saying all this because you’re afraid that you won’t be able to look them in the eye if we watched them, and not because you want me outta here so you can watch it all by yourself, Aizen-taichō?”

To that question, Aizen smiled.

“Take it this way, Gin,” the leader of Las Noches began, “why would I need to watch someone else having sex when I can easily find a partner to do the deed should I ever want to?”

Ichimaru snickered.

“Ah, good point. So does this mean that you’re gonna call someone in to satisfy your need now, taichō?”

To that question, Aizen tilted his head. It was difficult to tell from the tone he used in his next question whether he was really serious or just trying to mess with Gin’s head.

“Why, Gin? Are you offering?”

The smile on Ichimaru’s face did not falter, and he replied with the same ambiguous tone Aizen had used with him earlier, “Well, that depends, Aizen-taichō, on whether or not you’re interested.”

Aizen smiled. This time it seemed he was really amused, and not just putting on another facade.

“As enticing as that sounds, I don’t have any intention to bring a snake to my bed,” Aizen replied, “not yet anyway.”

Ichimaru sighed, although it was difficult to fathom whether it was out of relief, disappointment or something else entirely.

“Ah, well, since there’s nothing else to see here and you’ve rejected my offer, I guess I’ll just take my leave,” said the silver-haired man. “Unless, of course, there is anything else I can do for you.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m planning to return to my room as well,” Aizen replied. “In fact, why don’t we leave together, so you can’t accuse me that I will remain here and watch those two after you leave the room.”

Gin laughed. Bowing at his master and made a gesture to the door, he remarked, “In that case, after you, taichō.”

Nodding, Aizen rose from his seat and left remote control on the arm of his chair. Then the two Shinigami walked out of the room together. Whether they were truly uninterested in Grimmjow and Ulquiorra’s affair was the question only they knew the true answer.

* * *

Ulquiorra believed he saw a desert locust flying past them before he turned his focus back to Grimmjow’s face which was inching closer towards his. From what he had just experienced, he could tell that Grimmjow was about to kiss him again; yet even though he told himself he was prepared for the new experience, he still couldn’t help feeling flustered.

While he possessed some knowledge about osculation and copulation, they were still new to him in a practical sense, and Ulquiorra never felt at ease when he was in a situation which he was not familiar with.

Grimmjow probably sensed Ulquiorra’s uneasiness, since he suddenly stopped and opened his cyan eyes to meet with Ulquiorra’s emerald ones.

“You’re not supposed to stare when someone’s about to kiss you. It’s unnerving,” he commented.

“Oh...” Ulquiorra exclaimed before he quickly closed his eyes.

Ulquiorra could hear a soft chuckle from Grimmjow, and he could feel the man’s breath on his lips when Grimmjow whispered, “Relax, Ulquiorra. You can trust me.”

Then he felt that his lips were brushed by something soft and warm, which was probably Grimmjow’s lips. The hand that had been holding on to his waist earlier left its position and moved to stroke the side of Ulquiorra’s face lightly, making him feel a little less tensed.

He supposed Grimmjow was right and he could trust the man to guide him. Feeling a little more at ease, Ulquiorra decided that he shouldn’t waste the chance to gain new knowledge from the experience. Therefore, he tried to imitate Grimmjow’s move.

Encouraged, Grimmjow increased the pressure of his kiss, and even nipped softly on Ulquiorra’s lower lips to see if he would get a better response.

And he got it.

Ulquiorra gasped and parted his lips slightly in surprised, and Grimmjow didn’t hesitate to use that chance to slide his tongue into Ulquiorra’s mouth.

Although he was a little surprised by the intrusion, Ulquiorra refused to back away as he told himself that there were things that could only be learned by doing. Besides, the feeling of Grimmjow’s tongue exploring his mouth was not bad. It was good, to be honest. Subconsciously, his hand reached to the back of Grimmjow’s head, combing through the electric blue hair that was unexpectedly soft to the touch, before he gave a response of a kind.

Things were heating up as a result.

Caught in the haze of passion, Ulquiorra didn’t notice when Grimmjow pulled down the zip of his jacket until after he felt Grimmjow’s hand caressing down his torso and then moving back up again. He was almost breathless by the time Grimmjow broke the kiss to nip at his earlobe and then down to his exposed neck.

Sensing what Grimmjow was hinting at when the man slid his hands up his shoulder and pulling down his shirt as he made a trail of hot kisses down his torso, Ulquiorra let go of Grimmjow momentarily so he could roll his shoulders back and allow Grimmjow to remove his coat.

He didn’t have a time to pay attention as to where his coat was discarded since Grimmjow moved back up to reclaim his mouth with another heated kiss, and he was grateful that Grimmjow did so, for that kiss helped to stifle the sound of his moan that was let out when he felt Grimmjow’s hand brush past his crotch when the man was trying to undo the knots on Ulquiorra’s hakama.

Ulquiorra briefly wondered if Grimmjow was an expert at undressing people, since the man didn’t have to spend much time to finish undoing all the knots that Ulquiorra had neatly tied, but he didn’t think it was the right time to voice his curiosity, especially when Grimmjow put his arm tightly around his waist, before he briefly broke the kiss so he could demand, “Lift your hips.”

Ulquiorra obediently complied, but before he had to wonder why Grimmjow wanted him to do so, Grimmjow removed Ulquiorra’s hakama and underwear then tossed them aside. Then he eased Ulquiorra down into the canal in one swift move.

While the coldness of the water surprised Ulquiorra at first, the heat he felt from where their bare skins touched made it much easier for him to adjust to the temperature.

Once he managed to get Ulquiorra into the canal, Grimmjow began to make his way down Ulquiorra’s jaw to his neck, and his shoulder and his chest, alternating between kissing, sucking and nibbling in the same urgency with a thirsty man who had just found an oasis after having been wandering in a desert for days.

He could feel his need for Ulquiorra grow as he heard the smaller man moan in response to his touches, and he had to use all of the self-control he had not to just spun Ulquiorra around and took the man then and there.

That would definitely extinguish his burning desire, but it could also ruin the purpose of the whole thing.

Once again, Grimmjow needed to remind himself that he was doing it simply to show Ulquiorra that the man was wrong when he commented that aside for reproduction, sex had no other purposes. Therefore, it was more important to show Ulquiorra a good time than to satisfy his own urge. To give in to his own desire meant that he would most likely hurt Ulquiorra and gave the man a more negative view on sex. Moreover, Ulquiorra had a tendency to want to try everything; so if he had his way with the man, there was a chance that the Cuarta Espada would demand to try the same to him in return; and Grimmjow was still not ready to have his nightmare realize just yet.

However, with them standing in a canal, there was not much option for him to choose from. Therefore, Grimmjow settled for kissing Ulquiorra on the lips while caressing down the man’s body and then stroke lightly on the man’s heated member, while making a mental note to choose a better location should he ever want to seduce Ulquiorra again.

Ulquiorra drew a sharp breath, and subconsciously tangled the blue hair he had been running his finger through, as Grimmjow’s touches sent a kind of tingling feeling up his spine.

That soft gasp went straight to Grimmjow’s groin. It was strange that just a little response from Ulquiorra could turn him on that much.

Since he got a good reaction from the first time, Grimmjow rubbed himself against Ulquiorra, eliciting yet another moan from the man, before he held both of them in one hand and made another stroke, harder this time.

Ulquiorra arched his hips into Grimmjow’s touch, wanting more. Subconsciously, his right hand left Grimmjow’s shoulder and moved down to grip over Grimmjow’s hand to increase the delicious friction.

His reaction more than pleased Grimmjow, as the Sexta Espada grinned as he remarked, “My, aren’t you a fast learner? Move with me then.”

There was no doubt in Grimmjow’s mind that Ulquiorra would comply to his demand, since the man was already deep in the haze of passion.

No longer able to focus on two things at a time, their kiss broke, and the two Espadas put their sole focus on the hands that were pumping their members together, putting them both closer to the edge.

Grimmjow could feel his own orgasm building up, and from the flush on Ulquiorra’s face and the moan that man occasionally gave out, he could tell Ulquiorra was getting there as well. Thus, he increased the pace and the pressure of his hand, wordlessly hinting Ulquiorra to do the same.

It didn’t take long for their passion to peak and then explode, leaving them both empty yet fulfilling.

* * *

After he went down from the wave of ecstasy, Ulquiorra found himself resting his forehead against Grimmjow’s right shoulder, heaving. He was grateful that Grimmjow was still holding him near, or otherwise he would have already been drowned or at least floated away, since his knees had lost their strengths and he could barely stand his ground.

His mind was still very much in a chaotic state, but he still noted, though very vaguely, how Grimmjow planted soft kisses on top of his shoulder and on the curve of his neck before the man finally put some distance between them, but didn’t completely let go until he was certain that Ulquiorra gained enough strength back to stand by himself.

“So, how was it?” Grimmjow asked in a whisper. “Do you still think that sex is pointless?”

Grimmjow probably knew that the question was dangerous, as it had a potential to ruin his pride forever should Ulquiorra ever reply with a yes.

“It was...” Ulquiorra paused for a moment to collect his thought and search for the right word, yet that short moment seemed to last for an eternity for Grimmjow. “...gratifying. I can now begin to understand why some would relish this kind of activity.”

With that answer, Grimmjow almost sighed in relief, for it meant that his pride still remained intact. However, he couldn’t help noticing that Ulquiorra still hadn’t answered to all of his questions.

“However,” Ulquiorra continued, “it left us somewhat vulnerable afterward, so I doubted it’s worth doing just for the sake of pleasure alone.”

Technically, whatever Ulquiorra said should have been none of his concerns, since he only tried to show the man how pleasurable sex could be, and he didn’t fail in that task. However, he still felt his heart sink when he heard that reply.

Even though he kept telling himself that whatever Ulquiorra wanted to believe had nothing to do with him, Grimmjow still couldn’t stop himself from stating, “You really know how to take the fun out of everything, don’t you, Ulquiorra?”

“Life is not just about fun and play,” Ulquiorra countered.

Somehow Grimmjow wasn’t surprised to hear that kind of response.

“Yeah, but they make life more worthwhile,” Grimmjow noted. Seeing that Ulquiorra was about to open his mouth to argue, Grimmjow raised both of his hands as if to tell him to stop. “Anyway, you can just see it however you like. It’s not like what you believe is any of my business. I’m getting out first.”

With that, Grimmjow moved to the bank and climbed up.

Ulquiorra would have followed Grimmjow right away since he had no reason to stay in the water, yet the view of Grimmjow’s naked back reminded him how intimate they were just a moment ago, and it gave him a strange sensation, so Ulquiorra simply remained in his spot.

Averting his eyes from the view, the Cuarta Espada mentally berated himself for letting his thought strayed to where it didn’t need to be.

The area was filled with silence, and it was awkward to say the least, so Grimmjow quickly put on his clothes and remarked once he was done, “Well, then I’ll see you back at the camp.”

“Alright,” Ulquiorra replied, still keeping his eyes away from Grimmjow’s direction.

Just when Grimmjow was about to walk away, he had to stop on the spot when he heard Ulquiorra voice saying, “Oh, by the way, Grimmjow—”

He said nothing as he stood there and waited for Ulquiorra to finish the sentence that he had started.

“—thank you for your guidance.”

Grimmjow pursed his lips and closed his eyes. It was only normal for Ulquiorra to act as if nothing had transpired between the two of them, since to Ulquiorra, what had just happened was only one meaningless action to satisfy his curiosity. And to Grimmjow, sex was something he did just for the pleasure of doing. There was no more or less meaning to that action. So what did he expect to hear really?

Taking a deep breath, Grimmjow replied, “Don’t mention it.”

It wasn’t until Grimmjow was half way back to the camp that it finally struck him.

Suddenly it became clear to him why he had always tried to get Ulquiorra’s attention; why he chose to sit right across to that man in the meeting table when there were many other seats he could take; why he always wanted to prove himself worthy in Ulquiorra’s eyes if only as an opponent; why he was so eager to take down Kurosaki Ichigo even though the kid hadn’t provoked him in any way; why he agreed to help when Ulquiorra asked to be his friend to prove some strange theory from that human girl; and why he was so eager to show Ulquiorra how good sex could be.

He was attracted to Ulquiorra, and he wanted the man to acknowledge him as something more than just another piece of trash. And now that he had finally got the taste of what it was like, he wanted more, but upon considering Ulquiorra’s view in the matter, he doubted he would ever get another chance.

“Man, I should’ve just fucked him raw,” Grimmjow muttered to himself, although a part of him told him that even if he had done so, he would still not be satisfied – at least, not until Ulquiorra showed that he genuinely wanted him for him, and not for the sake of some learning experience. “Shit! I’m really in deep, aren’t I?”


	10. Chapter 10

Ulquiorra didn’t have to pay much attention to Grimmjow to know that the man let out a heavy sigh the moment they both reached to the white gate of Las Noches. After all, the bluehead didn’t bother to hide it, and Ulquiorra had sort of expected Grimmjow to do so after everything that happened in the last seven days of their mission.

Ulquiorra believed it began when he first noticed that Grimmjow had been acting strange – though saying that he was acting strange might not be the most suitable word, since Ulquiorra always found Grimmjow’s way of doing things rather unusual, so it might be better to say that he was acting stranger than usual. In any case, the Sexta Espada had been acting unlike himself, and if Ulquiorra had to say when it started, he would have to say it was after they spent the first week together in the desert.

Surely enough, Ulquiorra had voiced his concern then, and Grimmjow explained his strange behaviors as sexual frustration, which brought a new topic to their conversation and somehow led to them having sex. However, instead of returning to his normal self like he should have after his desire had been met, Grimmjow had acted even stranger than before.

The Sexta Espada would sometimes stare off into space with a troubled look on his face, and should Ulquiorra ever question him about it, he would say it was nothing even though it was obviously something. Moreover, Grimmjow would not come to sleep in the tent until after he was sure that Ulquiorra had fallen asleep, and then he would leave before Ulquiorra woke up. During the time when they walked through the desert, Grimmjow would quicken his pace as if he could not wait to get back to Las Noches, and he would not speak a word to Ulquiorra unless he was spoken to first.

In other word, it was as if Grimmjow avoided having any interaction with him.

If Ulquiorra had to describe the atmosphere between them, he would have to say that the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. If he had thought it was already unbearable to stay close to Grimmjow back in the time when they still detested one another, the situation they had been in that last week of the mission was even worse than that time; and Ulquiorra couldn’t understand how they managed to spiral down that path when everything seemed fine just before.

At first, he decided to wait for Grimmjow to come around on his own, but after four days of awkward silence, the Cuarta Espada decided that waiting would not get him anywhere, since they would be back to Las Noches before he could get to the bottom of it, and he was certain that Grimmjow would use that chance to avoid him completely. Thus, Ulquiorra decided to use the moment that Grimmjow least expected to throw his question at him, and that moment was after they had spent three hours walking in a complete silence.

‘Alright, Grimmjow, what did I do?’

‘I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,’ Grimmjow replied, not even bothering to look back at Ulquiorra who was still walking a few steps behind him.

Ulquiorra sighed.

‘You know exactly what I’m talking about,’ he accused. ‘You’ve been avoiding me lately, and I wish to know why.’

‘I’ve still no idea what the hell you’re getting at, Ulquiorra,’ Grimmjow insisted. ‘I’m still here, talking to you, ain’t I?’

Ulquiorra couldn’t say that Grimmjow was wrong, but he could tell that Grimmjow had planned it deliberately so that Ulquiorra couldn’t say that he was giving him a silent treatment.

‘Yes, but I have a feeling that if you could choose, you wouldn’t talk to me at all.’

‘You “have a feeling”?’ Grimmjow asked with a dry chuckle. ‘Now, that’s new.’

Although Ulquiorra could tell that Grimmjow was trying to get on his nerve so that he would drop the subject, he still couldn’t help feeling a little agitated.

‘Don’t change the subject.’

‘Is there any subject to change?’ the Sexta Espada asked. ‘Now, look, I said it was nothing, so it’s nothing. End of the story.’

‘There must be something or otherwise you wouldn’t act this way,’ Ulquiorra returned, not giving in.

‘I told you it’s nothing,’ Grimmjow insisted, ‘so just leave it alone already.’

‘Then why are you still not looking at me?’ Ulquiorra countered.

Not having any good comeback to that, Grimmjow halted on his spot and sighed.

Believing that he had finally had Grimmjow cornered, Ulquiorra remarked, ‘You know you can tell me anything, Grimmjow. We are friends after all.’

However, it seemed his tactics had gained him the exact opposite result to the one he was hoping to get, for the Sexta Espada’s postured suddenly became stiff at his word.

Clenching his fists, Grimmjow finally stated in a low tone, ‘At this rate, Ulquiorra, I don’t think I can continue being your friend.’

Ulquiorra’s green eyes were widened. Although their experimental friendship should have ended much earlier, for they had both agreed that there was no point in continuing it after Ulquiorra had learned all he needed to learn about friendship; Ulquiorra was convinced that they both had some kind of mutual understanding or wordless agreement that it would continue on despite that fact. Therefore, hearing Grimmjow say that he could no longer be his friend came as a complete surprise to him, and it made him feel tight around his chest.

Ulquiorra couldn’t really tell what that feeling was, but he was certain that he did not enjoy it.

‘Why?’

‘Why?’ Grimmjow repeated the question. His voice sounded almost bitter. ‘You wouldn’t get it even if I explained to you.’

‘Try me.’

The Sexta Espada sighed. He took a moment to think of the way to best explain why he felt that he could no longer be Ulquiorra’s friend.

‘Say, Ulquiorra,’ Grimmjow began, still not turning around to look at the other man, ‘if I told you I was still sexually frustrated and asked you to help me relief that frustration again, what would be your reply?’

Ulquiorra blinked. He couldn’t quite get how they managed to get back to that subject again.

‘Are you?’

Ulquiorra could see that Grimmjow clenched his fists again. ‘That’s not the point here! Now just answer my goddamn question.’

The Cuarta Espada furrowed his brows before he responded in the way that made the most sense to him, ‘I would agree to help.’

‘Why?’

‘Why? Because we are friends, why else?’

His answer made Grimmjow ran his hand through his silky blue hair in a manner that Ulquiorra could only describe as frustration.

‘What’s wrong with my answer?’

‘Nothing,’ Grimmjow replied. ‘It’s perfectly right, considering how you view this matter. It’s just that I don’t wanna do this kind of thing with a friend.’

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows once again. ‘If that were the case, then why would you ask me?’

‘Because I wanna do it with you?’

‘Now you’re not making any sense, Grimmjow,’ Ulquiorra stated, truly confused. ‘You said you didn’t want to do it with a friend, but then you said you wanted to do it with me. Isn’t that self-contradicting?’

Grimmjow didn’t reply to it right away. Instead, he drew a sharp breath, then released it.

‘That’s why I said you wouldn’t get it,’ Grimmjow said, shaking his head. ‘And until you finally get that, just let me be.’

With that, Grimmjow continued on his way without bothering to see if Ulquiorra would follow. His action undoubtedly added more strain to their already shaky friendship. And since the Cuarta Espada didn’t have any clue as to what Grimmjow was trying to get at, and he couldn’t expect the man to shed more light on the subject, all he could do was to give Grimmjow the space he requested for the rest of their mission.

As a result, the last three days of their mission had strained them both mentally that they could not be more relieved to finally arrive to Las Noches where they would no longer have to be alone by themselves.

* * *

Ichimaru couldn’t get any perkier even if he tried. After having spent the most part of his previous week mentally cursing Aizen for suddenly canceling the live broadcast of his favorite reality show due to its indecent content, his spirit had finally been lifted, since that day was the day that Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were scheduled to be back to Las Noches. Now he could just peep whenever he felt like. To hell with Aizen and his censorship.

Because an energetic Ichimaru Gin was never a good news to any Las Noches residents, everyone hurried out of the Shinigami’s way without even thinking of asking Gin why he was happy, or why he was holding a bottle of apple-flavored lube, wrapped elegantly with blue ribbons, as he headed to the front gate of the palace and stood there.

Ichimaru’s plan was to be the first to greet the lovey-dovey couple with a warm welcome gift, and tease them a little bit (or perhaps a lot, depending on what kind of reaction he received.) He put on the biggest smile he could muster as he heard the door open, but he was almost surprised to the point that he would have to open his eyes when Grimmjow stormed past him before he could even open his mouth to say anything.

“Oi, wait, Grimmjow!” Ichimaru shouted as he quickly followed Grimmjow. “I still haven’t stated my welcome words.”

“Fuck off,” was Grimmjow’s swift reply.

Ichimaru flinched for a moment; however, he would not stop until he did what he came to do, so he ran in front of Grimmjow and then he all but shoved the bottle of lube that he had been holding into Grimmjow’s hand. “At least take my gift first.”

Gin had expected that Grimmjow would at least show some funny reactions; however, much to his surprised, Grimmjow accepted it without so much as looking at what it was while he uttered, “Are you done? If so, get the fuck outta my way,” and then left before Gin could respond.

Ichimaru could only scratch his head and pout as he watched the blue-haired Espada leave.

“Aww... he didn’t even look at it, much less thank me. How rude!”

It was after he complained to himself that Gin realized he had yet to see Ulquiorra, so he turned around, and surely enough the Cuarta Espada had entered the palace.

“Ah, Ulquiorra!”

“Ichimaru-sama,” Ulquiorra greeted the Shinigami with a bow.

“What’s with him?” Gin asked motioning his head to the direction Grimmjow had gone to earlier.

“If you were talking about Grimmjow, then I wouldn’t know either,” Ulquiorra replied in all honesty. “He refused to tell me anything.”

Gin’s everlasting smiling face twisted into an expression of a surprise.

“Eh? But the last time I checked, you two were really ‘friendly’.” And of course, the last time Gin checked didn’t mean before the two Espadas left Las Noches like Ulquiorra understood. “Don’t tell me there’re already troubles in paradise. And here I was expecting something lovey-dovey. What a let down!”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you are talking about,” Ulquiorra stated. “Now if you would excuse me, Ichimaru-sama. I believe Aizen-sama is expecting a report.”

With that, Ulquiorra gave his superior another bow before he continued on his way.

Gin watched after the Espada in bewilderment. That was certainly not an expected turn of events. Scratching the back of his head once again, the Shinigami pouted.

“Wah, this isn’t fun at all. At this rate I’m never gonna figure out who’s the top.”

* * *

Aizen was sitting on his throne, waiting for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra to enter the room. To be completely honest, he did not care much about their report, as he had watched the Espadas for the most part of their mission, so he already knew almost everything that happened until he had to stop watching lest he caught them in their intimate moments. After all, he considered himself to be akin to God, and while God kept an eye on his creations, God was definitely not a voyeur.

What he cared about, however, was how much their relationship had developed from the last time he saw it and how he could use it for his personal entertainment.

The fact that only Tōsen appeared by his side at the throne told Aizen that Gin was most likely at the gate, and knowing the Shinigami, Gin was probably having the most fun of his life teasing the poor Espadas, and kept them from coming to the throne room with their report. Therefore, he didn’t expect that Grimmjow would enter the throne room for as soon as he did.

“Welcome back, Grimmjow,” Aizen greeted, hiding his surprise well. “Why is Ulquiorra not together with you?”

Aizen could see a small wince from Grimmjow when he asked about Ulquiorra, and that made him raise his hand from the arm of the throne to touch his chin. That was certainly not an expression he expected to see, but that made it all the more interesting.

“He’ll probably be here soon,” Grimmjow replied, not really answering the question. “Should I start with my report first?”

“No, we should wait for your partner to arrive before we do,” Aizen replied. “After all, this is also his mission.”

Aizen’s brown eyes shone with amusement as he saw Grimmjow’s expression shift. The Sexta Espada never showed that he minded before if Aizen showed favoritism toward Ulquiorra; however, it seemed to be different that time. Could it be because Grimmjow was a possessive type? But if that was the case, why would he allow Ulquiorra to be out of his sight even for a second?

Aizen let his imagination ran wild. Many things didn’t add up at that moment, and it was quite interesting to try to put all the puzzles into places. However, the ruler of Las Noches didn’t have enough time to come up with many theories when his stoic Espada finally arrived, using Sonído.

“My apology for being late,” was the first thing Ulquiorra said after he bowed down to his bosses.

“There is no need to apologize, Ulquiorra. After all, it must be Gin’s fault for holding you back,” the brown-haired Shinigami replied with a sickeningly sweet tone, while keeping one eye on Grimmjow to gauge the man’s reaction. “Welcome back, by the way.”

“Thank you, Aizen-sama.”

The two things that Aizen detected from Grimmjow were that the blue-haired Espada didn’t look at Ulquiorra once since the man arrived, and that he appeared to be quite unhappy with the respectful tone Ulquiorra used to speak to Aizen.

“Now that Ulquiorra is here, let us hear your report, Grimmjow.”

Not needing to be told twice, Grimmjow began briefing everything about the mission. Most of the report didn’t even entered Aizen’s ears, as the lord of Las Noches was too busy studying all expressions from his precious Espadas in order to find some clues as to what might have happened while he had not been watching because he didn’t think the tension that he felt was a part of their act to cover up the fact that they had become lovers.

Caught in his own reverie, Aizen almost missed the fact that Grimmjow had already finished his report. Since he didn’t listen to it at all, Aizen didn’t have any comment to it, so he turned to Ulquiorra and simply asked, “Is there anything you wish to add, Ulquiorra?”

“No, Aizen-sama.”

“Then that will be all,” Aizen stated. “The two of you have done a great job. On the day after tomorrow, I will Arrancarize the Hollows that you two have chosen and sent here. Now you two must have been exhausted from your journey, so you are free to go to your rooms and take some rest.”

“If you say so, then I’ll excuse myself now,” Grimmjow stated immediately after Aizen finished his sentence, and then he was off right in the second Aizen nodded his permission.

Aizen detected a strange expression from Ulquiorra when the man followed his partner with his eyes.

“In this case, I shall take my leave as well,” Ulquiorra remarked.

“Go ahead, Ulquiorra,” Aizen stated. “Oh, and by the way, now that you’re back, I’ll put Inoue Orihime back in your charge, so will you let her know that a new sketchbook she requested for will not be here until next week?”

“Certainly, Aizen-sama.”

With that, Ulquiorra bowed at Aizen and Tōsen once again before he turned around and headed out of the room.

Once he was certain that the two Espadas were no longer within a hearing range, Aizen rubbed his chin.

“Well, that was certainly not a kind of development I expected to see,” Aizen noted. “A lovers’ spat, perhaps?”

It looked like he had missed out on a lot of drama after he decided to give them some private time in the desert, and Tōsen seemed to agree, for the blind Shinigami responded with;

“This is exactly why I said that you should not allow it to continue, Aizen-sama.”

* * *

Inoue was folding origami when the door of her room was opened unannounced, so she quickly turned to the door in surprised. Ever since Harribel and her Fraccións took over Ulquiorra’s charge in taking care of her, those Arrancar ladies would always knock before they entered the room. And just as she suspected, her original warden was the one who entered the room, looking as emotionless as ever.

“Ulquiorra-san!” Inoue greeted with a broad smile. “It’s good to see you again! How was your mission?”

“It was successful,” Ulquiorra replied, “which means we will have more Hollows to strengthen our army.”

“Oh...” was the only response Orihime could give. She couldn’t exactly say congratulations Ulquiorra for a job well done because good news for Aizen’s army also meant bad news for her friends in the living world and Soul Society. “Anyway...how are things going between you and Grimmjow-san?”

Inoue couldn’t help noticing that once she mentioned Grimmjow, Ulquiorra’s expressionless face had shifted, albeit very slightly, and his green eyes seemed to show some agitation.

“It seems to me that we have taken one step forward and then two steps backward,” Ulquiorra replied truthfully without revealing any unnecessary details.

“Eh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means one day we got along just fine and then the next he said he could not continue to be my friend.”

“What!” The human exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and concern. “Why?”

“I wish I knew.”

“And how do you plan to make up with Grimmjow-san?”

To that question, Ulquiorra gave Inoue a blank look. It seemed to her as if he had no idea what she was babbling on about at all.

“You  _do_  intend to make up with him, right?”

Once again, Ulquiorra looked at Inoue as if she had just spoken nonsense.

“Why should I bother? If he is no longer interested in being my friend, it is his right,” Ulquiorra said flatly. “Besides, I have already learned all that I need to learn about friendship anyway.”

The woman’s face fell. “Surely, you didn’t mean that.”

“And why would I not mean it?”

“Because friendship isn’t a bond that can be easily broken, that’s why!” It was rare for Inoue to speak up; however, she believed it was important that she did, even if it meant angering Ulquiorra and putting her neck on the line. “If you can stop being friends just because of one petty fight, then you’ve learned nothing about friendship at all, Ulquiorra-san!”

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think it was petty?”

“It doesn’t matter if a fight is big or small, really,” Inoue quickly corrected herself once she realized her folly. “The point is friends do fight from time to time, but in the end they’ll realize their mistakes and try to make up with one another. They don’t just walk away whenever things don’t work out.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course!” Inoue insisted. “Now I don’t know what you did to make Grimmjow-san say that he didn’t want to be your friend anymore, but whatever it is, just go and apologize to him so you can make up already.”

“I doubt it would be that simple.”

“It is that simple,” Orihime said firmly, “that is, if you really want to make up with him.”

Orihime almost smiled when Ulquiorra took a moment to consider her words.

“It is not that I do not want to make up with him,” Ulquiorra admitted.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is he keeps avoiding me.”

The room filled with silence for a long moment as they both were reflecting on the situation. Inoue looked around her room as if doing so would help her get an idea to help Ulquiorra and Grimmjow make up, even though she still didn’t have any idea why the Espadas fought or what the fight was all about.

“Ah, well, if he doesn’t want to see you, then all you need to do is trying to give him a piece of your mind without facing him.”

“How?”

To that question, Inoue smiled.

“Just like how your friendship with him got started – by writing him a card,” she suggested. “I’ll even help you with that if you want.”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he considered the idea.

“A card, huh?” he nodded. “I suppose that’s better than nothing.”

“Alright! Then let’s get started. I’ll help you,” Inoue suggested. It seemed she was in a very high spirit that she ran behind Ulquiorra and pushed the Espada towards her table, intending to push him into the chair so that he would start writing immediately. However, it seemed Ulquiorra was much stronger than he looked, as Inoue couldn’t move him even though she had used all of the strength she possessed in both of her hands.

“What are you doing, woman?” Ulquiorra asked, glaring Orihime down over his shoulder.

Realizing that she had crossed her boundary, Inoue stepped back and put on a sheepish look when explained herself meekly, “Er...I’m just gonna lend you my writing table? I mean, the quicker you make up, the better, right?”

“Even if that is true, that doesn’t mean that I need your help,” said Ulquiorra.

“Oh...right...you probably want to spend time to think of your own words to write to him. Silly me,” Inoue said, not at all offended. “In this case, you should go back to your room and think of what you want to say to him, Ulquiorra-san.”

Inoue tried to push Ulquiorra again; however, that time, the destination changed from her writing table to the door.

Once again, Ulquiorra glared at Inoue. “Don’t touch me.”

“Ah, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” the girl said before she let go and took a few steps away from her warden and bowed at him for several times to show her apology.

The Espada, however, didn’t seem to mind much about the human’s action as he headed for the door. However, he stopped before he crossed the threshold.

“By the way, I should let you know that you are back in my charge again from now on, and that Aizen-sama said to tell you that a new sketchpad you had requested would not arrive until next week.”

And with that, Ulquiorra left the room and closed the door behind without waiting to hear what Inoue might want to say in reply.

Once Ulquiorra had left, Inoue went back to her table, wondering to herself, “Ulquiorra-san didn’t refuse my help because I spelled his name wrong the last time, did he?”

* * *

In another wing of Las Noches, Grimmjow lay listlessly in his bed. He had been in that position since he got back into his private chamber, and he still didn’t feel like moving even though he had stayed there for a couple of hours. Although he was exhausted from the long journey and he hadn’t slept much in the past week, he still found himself staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

When he thought about it more carefully, he didn’t know why he allowed what happened between him and Ulquiorra to bother him so much that he had snapped at the guy. It was true that his pride was a little hurt when he found out that Ulquiorra wasn’t as sexually interested in him as he was in Ulquiorra, but it wasn’t as if Ulquiorra was the first person to be uninterested. There were still so many other fishes in the sea, so there was no point for Grimmjow to have been frustrated, much less to say something that began to sound more and more like a corny love confession to him. That kind of game was not new to him, and he had had more one-night stands than he could remember. It had never been awkward between him and any of his flings afterward, so why was it different with Ulquiorra?

Was it because Ulquiorra was a friend? That couldn’t be the case. After all, he never had let something like that stop him before. Grimmjow was a type to get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted without any care for the possible consequences of his actions, so granted that he wanted to and the person was willing, he had no qualm of sleeping with a friend. And from where they stood, if he had ever requested it, Ulquiorra would be more than likely to oblige, so it would be that easy to satisfy his lust for the man. So why did he bother to hold back?

Then it clicked to Grimmjow. It was because to get Ulquiorra into his bed with that method would not be any different from using trickery, and while Grimmjow had no qualm of using force to get what he wanted, trickery was not his style.

Just like when he wanted to win a battle fair and square, he wanted a lover to come to him on their own accord, not because of some false impressions.

In a way, he regretted having touched Ulquiorra when the man still had misconceptions about friendship and sex, and perhaps it was that little guilt that made him still had some kind of lingering feeling towards Ulquiorra and wanting to do it when the man finally understood the real meaning of their action. Perhaps it was also why he was angry - at himself for taking the advantage of the situation, and at Ulquiorra for being so innocent that he would be fooled by such a simple thing.

Grimmjow sighed as he found himself in a new dilemma. Keeping Ulquiorra from the truth would definitely eat him up from the inside. In fact, it already did, since he was lying there pondering his action. However, telling the truth might probably get him killed or at least critically injured by Ulquiorra.

“Shit! This is really screwed up!”

But either he chose the long, agonizing death or a swift one, he believed he owed Ulquiorra an apology. Not for the sex, because Grimmjow couldn’t fully say that he wouldn’t have done it again if he had another chance, but for taking his anger out on Ulquiorra when he should be angry at himself most. Although considering the way Ulquiorra had always ignored him and called him trash in the past, that might be good payback, but that was beside the point.

The point was he had to apologize unless he wanted things to revert to where they were before.

With that thought, Grimmjow sprang up. Since he wouldn’t be able to get any sleep unless he got that load off his mind, he might as well just go out and find Ulquiorra then. It wasn’t until he got off his bed that Grimmjow realized he was holding a certain bottle in his hand, so he finally took the first look at it, and he quickly threw it into the wall once he realized what it was.

“That fucking bastard!” Grimmjow grumbled. “I’m gonna kill him the next time I saw his stupid face.”

Feeling slightly better, the Sexta Espada headed to the door so that he could go out to find Ulquiorra and apologize before he lost the will to do so.

Pulling his door open, Grimmjow widened his eyes in surprise once he saw a certain black-haired, green-eyed Espada bending in front of him as if to put something down.

“Ulquiorra?” Grimmjow blinked. To be completely honest, after everything that he had said and done, he didn’t expect that Ulquiorra would be anywhere near his room. “What are you–”

Ulquiorra seemed even more surprised by the encounter than Grimmjow, but he reacted quickly and stood up straight.

“Here. Read it whenever you have the time, “ Ulquiorra said, putting a thin envelope in Grimmjow’s hand. “I won’t disturb you any longer, so later, Grimmjow.”

With that said, Ulquiorra spun around, and he would have left right away had Grimmjow not been quick enough to catch him by the elbow.

“Wait, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow pleaded. “Don’t leave yet.”


	11. Chapter 11

Ulquiorra turned around to face Grimmjow, who then let go of his elbow. Although they had spent most of their time together in the past weeks, it still felt as if they hadn’t really looked at each other in the eye for quite some time.

After a long awkward silence and a raise of an eyebrow from Ulquiorra, Grimmjow sighed and lowered his head.

“Look, Ulquiorra, about everything that happened last week, I’m sorry.”

A moment of silence passed as Ulquiorra blinked and gave Grimmjow a puzzled look.

“Why did you apologize?” The Cuarta Espada asked. “I thought I was the one who was in the wrong.”

“Yeah, well I certainly gave you that impression, didn’t I?”

Grimmjow closed his eyes and sighed. He had no doubt that in order to clear things up, it was going to be a long talk, and he would prefer not to have that talk in the middle of a hallway where anyone could come and go and overhear their conversation at any possible moment.

“Anyway, why don’t you come in first?” the Sexta Espada suggested. “I’ll explain everything.”

With that, Grimmjow stepped away from the door and opened it a little wider so that Ulquiorra could come in.

Since his sole reason for being there was to try and reconcile with Grimmjow, Ulquiorra’s only option was to do as Grimmjow had suggested. He might have written what he wanted to say in that letter he had given to the Sexta Espada earlier, but talking face to face was certainly a much better way to make up.

“Sorry about the mess,” Grimmjow mentioned as he closed the door after Ulquiorra.

The Cuarta Espada took a quick scan at the room, taking in his surrounding. He might have stopped by at Grimmjow’s private quarters for so many times, but it was the first time he was actually invited in and got to see what Grimmjow’s room looked like on the inside.

Although Grimmjow had apologized for the mess, the room was much tidier than Ulquiorra had imagined. The wall was painted with black color while the floor was covered with dark gray tiles. Although there were downlights on the ceiling, they were all turned off, so the only source of light in the room came from the wide window that was partly blinded with a pair of ivory curtains. Next to the window were an ebony dresser and a wardrobe of the same color. In the middle of the room, set the black, king-sized bed with a white mattress and pillows. The bed appeared to be recently used as the white comforter was not straightened, but hung half on and half off the bed instead.

“You seem to like black and white color,” Ulquiorra commented as he stopped after he took a few steps inside the room, uncertain as to where he should stand.

“And which color do you expect my bedroom to be, pink?” Grimmjow retorted.

“No. Pink seems more like Szayelaporro’s color.”

“So mine should be blue, then?” Grimmjow asked as he headed towards his bed and quickly straightened the coverlet.

“Many people associated you with it.”

The Sexta Espada rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, right, I kinda get that already,” he remarked as he pulled the comforter up to cover his bed and then turned to Ulquiorra. “Anyway, you can just sit on the bed.”

Although Ulquiorra seemed hesitant, he still walked there and sat down.

While he knew that being alone in a closed room with Ulquiorra was already bad enough for his heart and that being alone in a closed room, in the same bed, even though they would only be sitting, would be even worse; Grimmjow didn’t have a better place to seat himself, so he gingerly sat down next to Ulquiorra, although he did leave some space between them.

The room was filled with a silence that was almost deafening. Once again, Grimmjow did not look at Ulquiorra’s face. Instead, he sat with his elbows propped on his knees and let his eyes focus on his interlaced fingers. The self-assured grin that usually adorned the man’s face was nowhere to be seen.

“You said you were going to explain everything,” Ulquiorra commented, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I know,” Grimmjow replied. “I’m still thinking of the best way to say it, and it ain’t easy.”

Thus Ulquiorra sat quietly and waited. It took another big moment until Grimmjow sighed before he looked up to stare at the dark wall in front of them.

“I guess I should start by saying that when I said I couldn’t continue being your friend, I really meant it.”

Ulquiorra winced at the sentence.

“Why did you bother to invite me in here, then?”

“I’m getting there, so will you just let me finish without any interruption? After that, you can ask whatever question you want?”

Although Ulquiorra wasn’t happy with that response, he decided to give it a chance first, so he nodded.

Once again, Grimmjow sighed. Running his fingers through his unruly blue hair, he continued:

“To be completely honest with you, I never really intended to be your friend from the start. I was just too annoyed by your methods and decided to accept your friendship just so that you would stop with your strange ideas.”

It was a hurtful thing to say, Grimmjow knew it, and he believed Ulquiorra knew it too, since the Cuarta Espada rose from the bed.

“If you’re just going to insult me, I don’t need to hear it,” Ulquiorra stated.

He should have expected that much from Grimmjow. The man had always hated him, after all, so why did he believe even for a second that it could change? The Sexta Espada was just having some fun seeing how far Ulquiorra was willing to embarrass himself to learn about a concept of something as useless as a friendship, and now that he was bored with it, he wished to discontinue that game, and that was the end of it. He should have known better than to believe that human girl when she said there were still some hopes for them yet.

However, before he could leave, Grimmjow reached out and grabbed Ulquiorra’s arm to stop him.

“Wait, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow demanded. “I don’t meaning to insult you in anyway whatsoever.”

“It certainly sounded like you do,” Ulquiorra stated in a cold voice. “Now let go of me, Sexta.”

“Not until you sit down and let me finish what I have to say first,” Grimmjow insisted, tightening his grip on that thin arm just in case Ulquiorra would pull away. He could tell from the way Ulquiorra reverted to addressing him by his Espada rank that the man was not pleased with the situation, or with him, for that matter.

“I said, ‘let go’,” Ulquiorra repeated himself, as he glared at Grimmjow.

The staring contest went on for a moment. As Ulquiorra realized that Grimmjow was not going to yield to his demand even if he kept giving the man a venomous stare, he decided that it was necessary to use force, and jerked his arm away from Grimmjow’s hold.

Grimmjow retaliated by pulling Ulquiorra back toward him with his full strength, and he believed that it was due to Ulquiorra’s initial surprise and the sudden switch in the momentum, and not because Ulquiorra was lost to him in the term of strength that the Cuarta Espada fell into the bed. However, no matter what the real reason behind that was, Grimmjow didn’t plan to let the opportunity slip by and quickly moved to straddle Ulquiorra’s down with his body.

“For fuck’s sake, Ulquiorra, I don’t wanna to fight you!” Grimmjow hissed, feeling his pulse quicken as he held Ulquiorra under him.

“You don’t really act like it,” the Cuarta Espada countered.

“Then tell me how else I can get you to fucking listen to me?”

It was a surprise to him that Ulquiorra had yet to try to get away from him. It could be due to the fact that Ulquiorra abhorred an unnecessary use of force, or it could be because Ulquiorra didn’t consider him to be a real threat. Normally he would be annoyed by either case; however, at that time he was content with the fact that Ulquiorra didn’t fight back, since it meant that there were still some chances for them to talk things out. Even so, Grimmjow still knew that the situation could change and get out of his control very quickly, so he needed to speak his mind before that happened.

“Anyway, I said I didn’t want to be your friend at first, but then you grew on me. Hell, I didn’t lie to you when I said I liked you, but I just realized that my ‘like’ and your ‘like’ is probably not the same.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows and asked, “What do you mean by saying not the same?”

Knowing that he had somehow caught Ulquiorra’s attention again, Grimmjow sighed and let go of the man before he quickly moved away from him as if he burned.

Sitting on the bed with his back to Ulquiorra, Grimmjow uttered with a sigh, “I mean I don’t like you as a friend, but as something else.”

Ulquiorra blinked, confused.

“No matter what you were led to believe, Ulquiorra, it’s not normal for friends to have sex, much less with a friend of the same gender. Of course, there’s a concept of ‘friends with benefit’ which friends engage in a sexual relation without any romantic attachment, but that’s just a small exception,” Grimmjow stated. He knew he could get killed for it, but he had to correct that misunderstanding of Ulquiorra, or he would never be able to sleep at night. “Normal friends don’t have the hots for one another, and even if they do, they don’t act on it if they still value their friendship at all.”

“But... you said...then you and I...” Ulquiorra furrowed his brows “...why?”

Grimmjow sighed again.

“I told you, didn’t I? I don’t see you as a friend. And before you get any ridiculous ideas, I ain’t so twist as to sleep with an enemy either.”

He had expected Ulquiorra to ask him what he saw the man as, but he couldn’t exactly say that he was disappointed when Ulquiorra didn’t ask. However, that still didn’t stop him from turning to look at Ulquiorra to see what kind of reaction the man had, and what he saw was that Ulquiorra was still lying on the bed, blinking in confusion.

With yet another sigh, Grimmjow offered his hand to help Ulquiorra sit up, but Ulquiorra refused to take it. Although he felt a bit hurt by Ulquiorra’s rejection, Grimmjow felt he kind of deserved it, so he brought his hand back to his lap.

“Anyway, I began to have this ‘desire’ for you after you told me that you liked me, though I knew you didn’t really mean anything when you said that,” Grimmjow confessed. “Yeah, I was really sexually frustrated back then, but I didn’t really intend to jump you, not at first anyway. I just wanted to tease you a bit when you said sex was pointless even though it was obvious that you had never done it.”

Still getting no reaction, Grimmjow continued:

“But after I kissed you, I realized that I really wanted you, and from that point on, it was no longer just a joke. So when you didn’t reject my advance, thinking that it was a normal thing friends do together, I just went with the flow and laid my hands on you.

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me or not, but I’ve never really stooped so low as to trick someone into having sex with me before, but that’s basically what I’ve done in your case. I should’ve been able to stop myself and then act like a good friend and correct that misunderstanding of yours.”

Ulquiorra slowly sat up. He still seemed confused by the whole confession.

“So in other word, you lied to me.”

Grimmjow couldn’t really find the right reply to the question, so the only thing he could do was to remain quiet.

“Is that also the reason why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“A part of it, yeah,” Grimmjow replied after another moment of silence, “but mostly it was because I was angry you regarded our sex as a mere lesson – or even worse, an obligation – when I wanted to hear that it meant something more to you.”

“And why should it mean anything more?”

Grimmjow cringed at the question. Somehow it made him feel like throwing up.

“Yeah, I know I was being stupid. I should’ve known sex was just another experiment to you, just like our friendship had always been from the start, but somehow I was crazy enough to hope that you might feel something, and that pissed me off, so when you asked me what was wrong, I kinda took it all out on you, when it was actually my own fault. That’s why you don’t need to apologize me for anything that happened between us. I’m the one who needs to apologize.”

As soon as he finished with his lines, Grimmjow turned to Ulquiorra only to see the man blinking twice in confusion. He couldn’t tell if Ulquiorra really understood everything he had just confessed or how the man would react to it, but he was ready for whatever Ulquiorra would throw at him. After all, he had brought that on himself.

After a moment that seemed like eternity, Ulquiorra finally spoke.

“Why are you telling me all this now?”

“Because I can’t continue to lie, Ulquiorra, not to you, and definitely not to myself,” Grimmjow replied softly. “Besides, it’s the only way I can look you in the eye again, though I doubt you’d still want to see my face after hearing all this.”

Ulquiorra took a deep breath and closed his green eyes for a moment, and in that moment, Grimmjow felt as if he was going to be suffocated by the tension.

“That letter I gave to you earlier,” Ulquiorra said, breaking the silence, “Can I have it back?”

“You mean this?” Grimmjow asked as he brought the thin envelope Ulquiorra handed to him earlier out of his hakama pocket.

Ulquiorra didn’t say anything when he snatched it from Grimmjow’s hand and then tore it in half before he crumbled the pieces in his hand.

“It is no longer needed,” he remarked.

Although Grimmjow had no idea what was written in that letter, he still felt his heart sink.

“I trusted you, Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra said, “but now... now I don’t know what to think anymore.”

With that said, Ulquiorra stood up and walked off without so much as a goodbye.

Instinctively, Grimmjow reached out as if to stop him; however, he let his hand fall before he could touch the man. He had nothing to say in order to stop Ulquiorra from leaving. They both needed time to sort out their feelings; so it would be best to let Ulquiorra go at that moment or their relationship – or whatever left of it – would be hurt more than it had already been.

A sound of the door being closed made his heart crack. While Grimmjow told himself it would be much better for him if Ulquiorra shot him with a cero for betraying his trust, for it meant that he didn’t have to watch Ulquiorra walk away, hurt and confused; he believed it might just be the kind of punishment he deserved.

* * *

Once he left Grimmjow’s room, Ulquiorra leaned against the nearest wall and slowly lifted a hand to his chest. Somehow it felt so tight that it was difficult for him to breathe, much less to move another step. He didn’t know what that feeling was or why it suddenly happened, but he knew that he didn’t want to appear weak, so he gritted his teeth and forced the feeling down as he slowly walked forward.

Upon finding a trash can, Ulquiorra absently dropped the crumbled pieces of letter there. His head was still busy trying to process everything that Grimmjow had told him earlier, but nothing made any sense to him except for the part that the Sexta Espada hadn’t been completely honest with him from the start. Basically, that man lied to him and used him for his own entertainment, and now that piece of trash was probably laughing at him inside that room, for every effort he had put into what he believed to be a friendship.

He was foolish to have believed that he could really make a real friend out of an enemy. He was stupid to have opened up to Grimmjow and trusted the man completely – to believe even for a second that whatever it was that they had was real.

How could he have ever believed in any advice from that woman? As harmless as she appeared to be, Inoue Orihime’s loyalty still lay on Soul Society’s side, so how could he have been so careless as to listen to anything she said and believed it to be true? Her intention was most likely to play all Arrancars against one another, so that their minds would be so messed up that they would not be able to fight with those humans and Shinigami that were her real allies. And he was stupid enough to have fallen for her trick.

The Cuarta Espada clenched his hands. It was rare for him to have allowed himself to be affected by any useless emotions. However, trying as hard as he could, he could not simply brush everything that had happened aside as if it was nothing and then return to the lifestyle he had lived before his experimental friendship with Grimmjow had started.

Ulquiorra let his feet carry him down many different hallways. For the first time since he could remember, he felt he needed someone to talk to. However, needing someone to talk to and finding someone who would fit for the task were completely different matters.

Aside from Grimmjow, who had turned out to never really be his friend at all, Ulquiorra didn’t have anyone who was close enough to him to discuss personal matters with. Although it could be said that he was rather close to Yammy, the bulky Espada always acted more like a subordinate to him than like a fellow Espada, and should Ulquiorra ever consider the man as a friend, Yammy would still be too stupid to ask for any opinions anyway. While he believed Aizen would welcome him with open arms whenever he had problems, the man was still his boss, and Ulquiorra believed that as the ruler of Las Noches, Aizen would have more important things to do than to listen to his insignificant problems.

For the first time, Ulquiorra realized just how lonesome he had always been. And even though that thought would never have bothered him before, at that moment it made him feel so cold as if he was standing naked in the middle of cold winter’s snow.

He stopped on his track for the pain he felt was so overwhelming that he couldn’t move, and Ulquiorra failed to understand why.

He had always been all by himself, and he was fine with it. He had never understood the point of having friends, and the only reason he bothered to befriend Grimmjow at all was pure curiosity. There were times when he found it bothersome to have to adjust himself and his own needs to fit with Grimmjow’s, and there were many times when he thought he should just give up but kept on with it anyway just because he didn’t like to give up when he was half way through things. Therefore, it should be a relief to him that it was finally over, so he no longer had to deal with all that troubles and returned to the peaceful solitude.

Yet it hurt, much more than he could have ever imagined, but what he hated more than the fact that he allowed himself to be inflicted by such pain was the fact that he didn’t have any clue how to make it go away.

Ulquiorra couldn’t tell how long he had spent standing there in the darkened hallway, trying to reorganize his thoughts after his mind had gone into total chaos, until his name was called out by a calm voice that he recognized as Tōsen’s.

“Ulquiorra, is everything alright? Why are you in the hallway all by yourself?”

Sometimes Ulquiorra really wondered if the Shinigami was truly blind, since the man had never acted like a blind man at all and always seemed to be able to tell where things were and who the person in front of him was even before the person even spoke.

“Everything is fine, Tōsen-sama,” Ulquiorra greeted the commanding officer with a bow.

“Even though you said that, you don’t sound well,” Tōsen observed.

Ulquiorra had to admit that even though the Shinigami was blind, his perception was sharp.

“There is a problem between Grimmjow and I,” Ulquiorra admitted, knowing that it was not a good idea to lie to a superior. “However, it is not something worthy of your concern.”

Tōsen nodded.

“If you say that, then I guess I can feel a little more relieved,” the blind Shinigami stated. “It has always concerned me since you chose to associate yourself with the likes of Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. After all, he is a type of person that would only bring about heartache and pain to those who involve with him.”

Although Ulquiorra believed that Tōsen’s comment on Grimmjow was made mostly out of the Shinigami’s personal antipathy towards the Sexta Espada, he still had to agree about the part that involving with Grimmjow had brought him pain. Another part, however, he wasn’t quite sure.

“Heartache?” Ulquiorra repeated the word. “I apologize if I bother you with my question, Tōsen-sama, but can you tell me what a heart is?”

The question from the fourth Espada made Tōsen touch his chin in a thoughtful expression.

“Hm...it is rather difficult to describe,” Tōsen noted, “but for a start, I’d say it is not just another organ inside of a human body.”

That reply from Tōsen gave Ulquiorra a sense of a déjà vu, and it didn’t take long for Ulquiorra to recall where he had heard it before. He had once had that same conversation with Grimmjow, but back then he didn’t really get a clear answer. However, even if he had, Ulquiorra would still have to wonder how credible the Sexta Espada would have been, when the man was known to feed him with either lies or half-truths.

“This heart that we’re talking about is a representation of earnest feelings that you have given out to others with a hope that they would accept and take care of it, or better yet, give some of theirs in return. If they do, then it is said that your hearts are connected. However, in the case that they don’t accept it, or they do but fail to take good care of it afterward; the heart that you have given out can be left aching, or worse, broken.”

“I see,” Ulquiorra mumbled. He finally began to understand what a heart was, but he couldn’t tell if he should consider himself fortunate that he also came to understand what it was like to have one’s heart broken at the same time. “Thank you for your explanation, Tōsen-sama.”

“You’re welcome,” Tōsen replied. “In any case, I’m glad to hear that everything is fine, so I will not take any more of your time. You should return to your room and take some rest. You must still feel tired from your mission.”

“In this case, I must excuse myself first, Tōsen-sama,” Ulquiorra replied. “Have a pleasant evening.”

After he got a nod from Tōsen, Ulquiorra bowed to the blind Shinigami and then continued, albeit slowly, on his path. Having talked to Tōsen might not have helped much in terms of how he should deal with his problem with Grimmjow, but it gave him a better understanding of the state of mind he was in.

At that moment, he would do as Tōsen suggested and return to his room. His mind might become clearer after he got some rest, and then he might be able to figure out his next move concerning the relationship with Grimmjow should be.

* * *

The scenes of Ulquiorra walking down a darkened hallway that led to his respective wing, and of Grimmjow sitting on his bed, hugging his knees with his head hung, was displayed side by side on two different screens in a dark control room, being observed by a silver-haired Shinigami, Ichimaru Gin.

It appeared that Gin was too absorbed by what he had been watching that he barely noticed it when the door to the control room opened with a soft swoosh and a person walked up from behind him.

“I thought I’ve told you to stop watching them already, Gin?”

The question startled Ichimaru somewhat, since he didn’t expect anyone to come to the control room at that moment. However, his expression didn’t change much when he turned to greet the owner of that suave voice, Aizen Sōsuke.

“Well, you did, but I don’t remember agreeing to it,” Gin replied slyly. Turning back toward the screen, he continued, “Besides, it’s not like they’re doing anything X-rated. See? They’re not even in the same room. But that aside, what exactly are you doing here, Aizen-taichō?”

“Certainly not to watch Grimmjow and Ulquiorra like you’re mentally accusing me.”

The answer made Gin laugh.

“I’m here to check up on you, of course.”

To that reply, Gin turned to Aizen once again and gave the man a wide smile.

“Why, Aizen-taichō, there’s no need to stalk me. If you love me that much, all you hafta do is tell me,” he said in his usual cheerful tone. “I didn’t elope with you for no reason, you know?”

Aizen smiled at that.

“Don’t tempt me, Gin, or someday I might really take it seriously,” the rogue Shinigami replied. “Now if you don’t mind me asking, why are you so fixated on Ulquiorra and Grimmjow’s affair anyway?”

“Well, at first it was because it was fun to tease them,” Ichimaru explained, “but now, it’s because you told me to stop watching it.”

“Oh, so you do possess a rebellious streak.”

Gin laughed.

“Just a little bit, but more importantly, I don’t like sad endings, so I can’t stop watching until they become all lovey-dovey again.”

“Didn’t you mean you can’t stop meddling?”

“Eh? I never meddled into someone else’s affair,” Ichimaru protested, pouting. “Besides, seeing you here means you’re gonna forbid me from doing that anyway, aren’t you?”

Aizen shook his head.

“Even if I do, you would try to find a way around it anyway, so do whatever you like,” Aizen resigned. “In fact, if you can manage to revert this from being a soap to being a sitcom like it used to be, I might even return to watch it.”

“Ah, so you still haven’t completely lost your interest, eh, taichō?”

Instead of honoring that statement with a direct answer, Aizen changed the subject, “I do have one piece of advice, however.”

“And what would that be?”

“Those two are like wounded animals right now, so don’t meddle with them for too much, or they might seriously turn on you.”

With the last warning, Aizen was off, leaving Gin to continue watching the two Espadas by himself so that he could cook up whatever scheme he felt like.


	12. Chapter 12

Grimmjow stood under a shower with his eyes closed, letting water wash over his rugged face and his toned body. The coldness of the water made him feel a little bit more refreshed, but the truth remained that he hadn’t had much rest since he returned to Las Noches.

He couldn’t be sure if it was just a coincidence or Ulquiorra had purposely avoided him ever since that last time they spoke, but he had a feeling that it was the latter case when Ulquiorra didn’t show up at the time Aizen had scheduled to Arrancarize the Hollows that they had “convinced” to join Aizen’s troop.

He remembered that Aizen didn’t show any sign that he was surprised when Ulquiorra didn’t show up. In fact, the man looked almost like the Cuarta Espada’s absence was a part of his plan, and that made Grimmjow wonder for a moment if the whole friendship deal with Ulquiorra was just some kind of fantasy created by the Shinigami’s Kyōka Suigetsu, and now that Aizen was bored with it, he simply lifted the illusion and returned them to the reality where they were colleagues who didn’t hold each other’s regard.

With a sigh, Grimmjow ran his hands through his soaking blue hair before he rested his forehead against the wall of the shower stall.

It would be easier if everything that had happened to them in the past months had been just an illusion from Aizen. In that way, he could simply regard it as a bad dream and then dismiss it as if nothing had ever happened. However, he knew that whatever happened between them was real enough to keep resurfacing no matter how deep he had tried to bury the thought in the back of his mind.

He could still clearly see the look on Ulquiorra’s face when the man said that he had trusted him, and somehow the way the man simply left quietly afterward cut him deep like a sharp knife. It was true that Grimmjow had had his fair share of affairs, and while he was not always the one who ended them, he never felt any urge to go after anyone who already chose to leave. However, it was different in the case of Ulquiorra, for that was the first time that he felt a strong need to salvage whatever remained in their relationship instead of just letting it sink like a wrecked ship.

“Yeah, right,” Grimmjow muttered bitterly. “The master of destruction is trying to mend the fences. How ironic!”

But perhaps that why he still couldn’t figure out how to fix things between himself and Ulquiorra – because he was more used to destroying things than creating or fixing them. Perhaps he didn’t really know as much about the “heart” or about relationship as he wanted to believe he did.

With yet another sigh, he turned off the water, reached for the towel, wrapped it around his waist then stepped out of the shower.

Once again, he asked himself what he should do next. It wasn’t as if he could just ask anyone, since the last couple of months had proved to him how twisted all Las Noches residents could be when it came to giving advice. Besides, there was no way he could get any useful advice without revealing about his transgression.

The Sexta Espada shook his head, and instead of drying himself and getting dressed, he opted to sit listlessly down in front of a dresser and stared absently at his own reflection. He couldn’t tell how long he had just sat there like that, but he knew that his hair was almost dry by the time he was shaken out of his reverie by four consecutive knocks on the door.

His blue eyes became widened in surprise, and his heartbeats were quickened as his mind automatically linked those four knocks with the way that certain person always rapped on his door whenever he came to see him there. He didn’t need to think before he quickly darted to the door and opened it in haste.

However, instead of seeing a slender man with black hair and green eyes as he had expected, he was greeted by a silver-haired man whose smile was eternal.

“Wow, that was fast!” Gin commented. “Must’ve been a new record.”

“Oh, it’s just you.”

“Eh? What’s with the disappointed look?” the Shinigami asked in a teasing tone. “And what did you mean it was just me? Are you expecting someone else?”

Grimmjow almost hated himself for having believed for a second that the person who knocked on his door would be Ulquiorra Cifer.

Ignoring Ichimaru’s question, he asked curtly, “What’s your business?”

Because he was already used to the Espada’s less than friendly attitude, Gin decided not to waste his time to complain and simply went on with what he came for:

“Ah, I just drop by to tell you that we’re holding a welcome party to all new Arrancars tonight, and everyone is going to be there.”

“Everyone?”

“Yep, and when I said ‘everyone’, it includes...” Gin said, and after a dramatic pause he added, “...Zommari.”

It wasn’t the first time that Grimmjow felt like breaking Gin’s neck in half.

“Why the hell would I wanna know if that arrogant bastard would be there or not?”

“It doesn’t have any specific meaning. I’m just giving you an example, after all,” the Shinigami replied in a mock innocent. “Anyway, the party starts at six, and all Espadas are required to wear sombreros and ponchos.”

“What the hell?”

He didn’t really know how Gin could manage to get more ridiculous every time they met, but the guy had to be really mad to think that all Espadas owned a Mexican hat and a poncho, and even madder to think that they would wear it to the party just because he requested them to.

“I just thought it’d be the easiest way for the newcomers to identify the Espadas since, you know, not all of the Espada’s tattoos are in the area that is easily seen,” said the Shinigami. “So don’t complain and just wear them. If you don’t have them, there’ll be some for you to borrow at the party’s entrance. Anyway, see you at the party, and don’t be late. Bye-bye.”

With a goodbye wave, the Shinigami was off, using shunpo.

Grimmjow stared at the empty hallway for a moment. Somehow he thought Ichimaru knew that he wanted to know if Ulquiorra would be there or not and intentionally chose to omit that little detail just to get under his skin.

“Damn! I really hate that guy.”

Closing the door, Grimmjow went back to the dresser to begin getting dressed. He wasn’t too fond of the idea of that welcome party. It was somewhat fishy, since they had never held a welcome party for new Arrancars before, and the dress code for the Espadas made it seem even more like Gin was being bored and aiming to use the welcome party as an excuse to poke fun at all Espadas to get rid of that boredom. However, going to the party almost guaranteed that he would get to see Ulquiorra again, although he still had no idea what he should say to Ulquiorra in their current situation.

Once again, Grimmjow sighed. He supposed he could just make it up as he went, granted Ulquiorra bothered to listen to what he had to say instead of reverting to calling him trash and ignoring him like he used to.

* * *

It was rare for Ulquiorra to walk around with his coat being zipped down low enough to reveal the Hollow hole on his sternum. However, judging from the beads of sweat around his hairline, the reason that the Cuarta Espada had yet to zip up his attire might be because he had just finished working out.

Anyone else would prefer to laze around in Las Noches after having been sent out to a three-week mission, but Ulquiorra couldn’t really find a peace of his mind by sitting around, so he decided to ask for Aizen’s permission to go out of Las Noches again, believing that having a training in his Resurrección form would help him clear his head.

It was already the third day that he spent the whole day training outside and only returned at night to rest in his quarters. The training didn’t really help him clear his mind much, but at the very least, it managed to tire him enough that he could sleep at nights without thinking of that one same useless topic.

Weary, Ulquiorra couldn’t quite decide what he should do first between finding something to eat and taking a nice warm bath. However, before he could make his decision, his path was intercepted by a silver-haired Shinigami who couldn’t look happier to catch him there.

“Ah, Ulquiorra. I thought I’d have to go out and find where you’re training,” Gin remarked chirpily.

“Why are you looking for me?”

“We’re having a welcome party for the new Arrancars just now,” the Shinigami stated. “It’d be great if you’d just drop by for a few moments.”

“I don’t believe I’m in the right state to attend such a party.”

“Of course you are,” Ichimaru insisted. “Everyone is already drinking and dancing, so no one would mind if you’re a little sweaty. Come on, Ulquiorra, you can always be alone in your room any other time, but we rarely have a party like this.”

Knowing that arguing with Gin would only prolong him from his initial plan, Ulquiorra decided that he should humor the Shinigami and go to the party, have a drink and then leave. After all, agreeing to go to the party didn’t mean that he had to stay there until the very end.

“Since you insist, I will go.”

“Great. Then wear these.”

By saying “these,” Ichimaru magically pulled a sombrero hat and a colorful poncho out of his sleeves, and before Ulquiorra could protest, he quickly put them on the Espada.

“Now we’re ready to go!” Ichimaru announced, and he was all but dragging Ulquiorra by the hand to the direction of the ballroom where the party was taking place at that moment.

* * *

After Ulquiorra followed Ichimaru to the ballroom where the party was taking place, he had to agree that the Shinigami was right about the drinking and dancing part. With a quick glance, Ulquiorra could identify most of the Números that were drinking and chatting loudly. Some Espadas also presented in the room, although he couldn’t say that he was surprised that Barragan, Zommari and Aaroniero were not among them as he couldn’t see them as a type who liked to party.

Starrk and Harribel were sitting together, exchanging some words while Lilynette was dancing with Harribel’s three Fraccións. Yammy was in one corner of the room with his dog, too focused on the silver tray of food in his hands to socialize with others. The rest of the Espadas, namely Nnoitra, Grimmjow, and Szayelaporro were sitting together at one table, downing shot after shot of tequila cruda as if to compete who was going to fall unconscious from drinking first.

Ulquiorra’s green eyes fell on the blue-haired man who slammed a caballito glass down on the bar after he downed the tequila shot so that Tesra, who was acting as a bartender, could refill the glass. Although he told himself he should just ignore Grimmjow like he used to, his eyes still remained there even as the Sexta Espada sucked a piece of lime to end the shot and reached out for the salt shaker to begin the next round.

He couldn’t tell if the weight of his stare could be sensed by Grimmjow or if it was just a coincidence that the blue-eyed Espada slowly turned to his direction, and the moment their eyes locked, Grimmjow ceased to continue drinking.

Seeing the way the two Espadas were staring at one another across the room, Gin smiled lopsidedly and leaned in to suggest to Ulquiorra, “Why don’t you just go and mingle with your friend?”

Broken out of his trance, Ulquiorra turned to Ichimaru and remarked, “That man is not my friend.”

It took Gin every ounce of control he possessed in his body not to say, “lover, then” just then. He didn’t think Ulquiorra would turn and bite him for such a comment, but he knew that sometimes saying too much might have brought an undesirable result. Therefore, in order to see a happy ending, Ichimaru decided that he would put some limits to his teasing.

“Oh, well, whatever you say, Ulquiorra,” Gin remarked. “Anyway, you should eat something and have a drink or two. Don’t just stand there and be a party pooper.”

With that said, Gin gave Ulquiorra a smile and patted him softly on the shoulder before he slipped into the party to find someone else he could pull a prank on.

The Cuarta Espada made his point never to look at the direction Grimmjow was in again as he turned and acknowledged greetings from some Números. After he had stayed long enough to eat some nachos that the waiter offered to him and down a shot of mescal, Ulquiorra quietly slipped out of the party.

* * *

Grimmjow didn’t really know how Nnoitra and Szayelaporro managed to coax him into having a drinking match with them, but when he realized again, he had already lost count of shots of tequila he had downed that night, and he wouldn’t have stopped if he didn't feel as though he was being stared by someone.

Because he felt some kind of pull to it, he couldn’t help turning to the direction he sensed that stare coming from, and he almost froze when he saw Ulquiorra standing in front of the door, wearing a ridiculously huge sombrero and rainbow-colored poncho.

It had only been three days, but it still felt like forever since the last time he saw Ulquiorra, and the moment their eyes met, everything else became a blur except for that green-eyed man. However, the spell was soon broken when Ulquiorra turned to speak to Gin after the Shinigami whispered something to him.

Nnoitra, who was sitting next to him, turned to the same direction Grimmjow was looking at and smiled widely before he nudged the blue-haired Espada with an elbow.

“You know, why don’t you go out and invite Ulquiorra to join us?” suggested the Quinta Espada. “I always wonder how he’s gonna be like when he’s drunk, and I mean, completely drunk.”

“Right,” Szayelaporro agreed, although his word sounded a little slurred. “He’s always so stuck up. It’d be fun to see him lose control.”

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes slightly. He couldn’t tell if the irritation he felt was a result of Nnoitra and Szayelaporro’s comment on Ulquiorra or due to the fact that Ulquiorra was speaking to some nameless Números when he had been avoiding Grimmjow like the plague for the past three days.

“Ulquiorra’s not bad once you get to know him,” Grimmjow commented. “And I wouldn’t say he’s a stuck up bastard either. He’s just not keen on how to interact with people.”

Szayelaporro raised his brows. “Wow...I never thought there’d be a day when you speak in his defense. I mean, you’re always the first to criticize him.”

“You know, for someone who claims to be a genius, you can be really dense sometimes,” Nnoitra commented. “This guy here can’t stand us criticizing Ulquiorra cuz he thinks he’s the only person who’s allowed to do so.”

The Octava Espada put on a dubious look.

“But if you put it that way, it sounds almost like Grimmjow is in love with him?”

“That’s cuz he is.”

“What the fuck?” Grimmjow yelped, turning sharply to the pink-haired scientist. “Where the hell did that come from? Are you two drunk already?”

“See, Szayel?” Nnoitra remarked. “He didn’t even deny it.”

Szayelaporro and Nnoitra shared a drunken laugh while Grimmjow felt heat rising up his face, and he didn’t think it was due to the amount of tequila he had drunk. Feeling somewhat self-conscious despite being half-drunk, Grimmjow looked back to the spot Ulquiorra had previously occupied only to see the Cuarta Espada had already disappeared.

Recalling that his only reason for showing up at the party at all was for a chance to talk with Ulquiorra, Grimmjow slammed the caballito down on the table.

“Damn it! Why did I even bother to drink with you motherfuckers again?” Grimmjow swore.

“What the-? Are you looking for a fight, asshole?” Nnoitra returned, reaching for his oversize zanpakutō.

“Challenge me again when you’re sober,” Grimmjow replied before he got up. He might have felt a bit drunk before, but somehow the fact that Ulquiorra had left before he had a chance to speak to the man managed to make him sober up. “I’m leaving.”

With that said, Grimmjow got up and walked out of the ballroom.

* * *

When Grimmjow thought about it again, he might not really be as sober as he thought he was; since he didn’t think he would try to track Ulquiorra down by the man’s spiritual power otherwise. After all, he knew that after everything, Ulquiorra would need some time and space to think it through, and he had told himself that he would respect that and wait until then.

Or perhaps he had already been sober, but having seen Ulquiorra’s face again that night made it impossible for him to continue waiting. Somehow he came to think that Ulquiorra might never forgive him, so to wait any longer might cause Ulquiorra to be colder toward him, which was definitely not a good idea.

As he made a turn in the corner, Grimmjow wondered again why Ulquiorra's thought mattered to him so much. He never recalled chasing anyone after the end of any affair. In fact, he always believed that it would be fruitless to try to hold on to someone when they no longer wanted to be there, so it would be more useful to let them go and look for someone new.

Perhaps it was because he never really felt anything for any of his partners in the previous affairs, except for passions of the body that could easily die down once the desire was sated. Perhaps Nnoitra was not completely wrong about him having fallen for Ulquiorra although to be completely honest, Grimmjow didn’t really know what love really was, so he couldn’t be sure about it.

In any case, Grimmjow decided that he couldn’t lose what he never really had, so he followed Ulquiorra’s spiritual trace until he reached to the area of an artificial, open-air onsen that was located inside a botanical garden.

Although he knew he shouldn’t stare, Grimmjow still found himself staring at Ulquiorra, who was sitting in the hot spring with his eyes closed. The scene could be described as nostalgic, as it reminded him of that fateful morning in Hueco Mundo's desert, except that it was Ulquiorra who was sitting in a hot bath and not Grimmjow in a cold canal. Not to mention, he doubted Ulquiorra would try to undress him with his eyes even though he was already naked like Grimmjow was doing to Ulquiorra at that moment.

It didn’t take long for Ulquiorra to notice that he was no longer alone in the area, so he slowly opened his emerald eyes, which he quickly narrowed when he saw the person who stood in front of him.

Grimmjow didn’t know if he should admire Ulquiorra’s composure or feel insulted by the man’s lack of reaction to his presence. After all, he had openly declared his sexual desire for Ulquiorra, and the man was naked and defenseless in that bath. Anyone else would have at least tried to cover themselves or chase him out if they were in Ulquiorra’s shoes, yet the Cuarta Espada was still sitting there, motionless.

“Why are you here?”

There was no greeting or preamble, just a curt question, uttered in a cold nonchalant tone that was Ulquiorra’s trademark. Even so, Grimmjow was glad that at least Ulquiorra had yet to revert to calling him by his rank, or worse, dubbing him as trash.

“I’m here to talk.”

“Haven’t you already said everything there was to say?”

“Yeah, that’s true, but...” Grimmjow trailed off. “Isn’t there anything I can do so that you will forgive me?”

Ulquiorra blinked for a couple of times as if he couldn’t understand any word Grimmjow was saying.

“There is nothing to forgive,” the raven-haired Espada replied calmly without any trace of sarcasm.

It was Grimmjow’s turn to be confused.

“What do you mean there’s nothing to forgive? Aren’t you angry with me at least?”

Ulquiorra sighed and closed his eyes. “I’m not angry with you.”

“Like hell you’re not!” Grimmjow opposed. “You’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I admit that I have avoided you to some extent, but it is not because I am angry,” Ulquiorra said, then paused for a second before he added, “not at you, at least.”

“If you’re not angry with me, then what are you angry at? Why have you been avoiding me?”

“That is none of your concern.”

It was unclear whether Ulquiorra intended to anger Grimmjow with his reply, but those words made the Sexta Espada see red.

“Of course, it  _is_  my fucking concern!” he stated. “What do you think I’m here for?”

“Obviously not for a bath,” the Cuarta Espada observed.

Grimmjow rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I really don’t get you, Ulquiorra. Why do you always answer the question that I don’t really want to know an answer, but never the one that I really need to hear?”

It seemed Ulquiorra understood that the last question from Grimmjow was rhetoric, so he didn’t reply to it. Instead, the Cuarta Espada sighed opted to answer the question that he had avoided answering earlier, “I think I’m mostly angry at myself.”

Grimmjow blinked at the answer.

“I believe I have already mentioned to you before that before Aizen-sama found me and took me in, I had always been alone in the desert, simply going through the motion without having any real purpose in being.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned something like that,” Grimmjow confirmed even though he didn’t know how that would be of any relevant to what the subject they were discussing.

“The truth is I never had a problem with being by myself,” Ulquiorra continued his explanation, “but after I befriended you, I’ve begun to get used to the thought of having you around, and somehow I clung on to that thought even though I shouldn’t have. So basically, I’m angry at myself for ever caring about it – for caring about you – when everything was supposed to be just an experiment, and it shouldn’t have mattered how, when and why it ended.”

Grimmjow wondered if it would be alright for him to have a hope.

“Does that mean you care about me?”

“To a certain degree, yes,” the Cuarta Espada admitted with a nod. “To be honest, I felt somewhat betrayed when you mentioned that you never saw me as your friend. Back then, the thought of you lying to me did anger me. However, now I realize I shouldn’t have blamed you for anything that had happened when it was my own choice to have trusted you. You never asked me for it. I just came up with that expectation by myself.”

“Expectation?”

“That it would last, I suppose,” Ulquiorra supplied, “but it doesn’t really matter now. I will try to forget everything that has happened in the past months as soon as possible so that everything can go back to how it was before this experiment started, and I suggest you do the same as well.”

“What the hell, Ulquiorra? You think it’d be that easy to forget?”

“No, I don’t, but I can’t think of any better solution.”

With that said, Ulquiorra reached for the bathrobe that he had left by the edge of the onsen before he stood up and wrapped himself in it.

“Anyway, this should be the end of our discussion. Unless, of course, you have something to add.”

Of course, he had something to add. He would be damned if he were to let Ulquiorra go just like that without saying anything.

“Yeah, you bet I do,” Grimmjow said as he instinctively moved to block Ulquiorra’s path to make sure that the man wouldn’t leave before he finished. “Because I don’t think you understood any words I said to you the other day at all.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows.

“I don’t think I’ve misunderstood anything. You said it rather clearly that you never wanted to be my friend from the start, and even after everything, you still didn’t see me as one.”

Grimmjow rake his fingers through his blue hair and growled in frustration.

“Yeah, that’s what I said, but you certainly missed the meaning behind it.”

“What else could it mean then?”

The Sexta Espada rubbed his temples. Perhaps it was his own fault to assume that Ulquiorra got the meaning behind his words in the first place, when he should have known that the man didn’t know much about emotions, and thus he should have been more direct in the matter.

“It means... How should I put it so that you won’t misunderstand me again?” Grimmjow sighed. Although he knew he shouldn’t have been upset with Ulquiorra for not understanding him when he still didn’t quite understand himself, he couldn’t help feeling frustrated. After all, it took all of his courage to speak to Ulquiorra the last time, and he had to explain it all over again. “When I said I never saw you as a friend, I meant I wanted you to be more than a friend.”

“More?” Ulquiorra asked, furrowing his brows. “I thought you said you didn’t like me.”

“As a friend, I said I didn’t like you as a simple friend,” Grimmjow added. “Oh, screw it! I’ll just be honest and say it clearly this time. I’m attracted to you, Ulquiorra, and when I said attracted, I mean in a way that I want to push you down to the ground and have my way with you. That’s why I said I didn’t think of you as a friend, because I’d prefer you to be my lover. There! I’ve said it. Shit! This is so embarrassing.”

Ulquiorra blinked before he looked at Grimmjow as if the man had just told him that a pig could fly.

“Anyway, that’s why I made a move on you,” Grimmjow continued, though he couldn’t quite look at Ulquiorra in the eye. “I know I sorta tricked you into it, and there’s not any excuse for that. It’s completely okay for you to feel betrayed and angry, but if you’re gonna go back and treat me with indifference, let it be because you can’t consider me as a lover and can no longer treat me as your friend after what I did, not because you thought I didn’t care about you.”

Once again, Ulquiorra blinked.

“Let me get this straight. You didn’t hate me?”

“No, and to be honest, I don’t think I ever did. I only hate that you always refer to me as trash.”

Ulquiorra’s frown was deepened to the point that his brows might as well be knitted together.

“I don’t know what to make of this,” the Cuarta Espada remarked after some thought.

Grimmjow sighed.

“You don’t have to say anything now, Ulquiorra. Just take your time and think about it,” he said softly. “By the way, I should also say again that I’m sorry about everything that I did before, and that even if you can’t consider me as your lover, I’d like to still be your friend, if you’d still allow it, that is.”

Once again, Ulquiorra looked troubled by how the situation had changed. Although it appeared that Grimmjow didn’t intend to toy with him as he had believed, he still had no idea what he should say to the blue-haired man then except, “Alright, I’ll think about it.”

“Thanks.”

Grimmjow then took a step aside to open the path for Ulquiorra to leave.

It appeared he would have many more restless nights ahead of him, although on the upside, he wasn’t completely rejected yet. He didn’t think he had ever had that kind of feeling before, but it didn’t feel so bad. Now that everything was clear between them, all he could do was waiting for Ulquiorra’s response, and hoping that it would be a favorable one.


	13. Chapter 13

Although the party that Gin was holding looked rather enjoyable and he was rather bored by himself, Aizen still opted to remain in his room, lounging comfortably in a white armchair. His long finger idly clicked on a remote control, switching the TV screen to show scenes from different cameras that were monitoring over Hueco Mundo. After having switched channels for a while, Aizen stopped his finger and stared at the screen that showed a picture of the dark, empty Hueco Mundo's desert as if it was a sight he had never seen before. He would have kept watching it had it not been for a knock on his door.

Aizen took a deep breath but didn’t shift his position. He didn’t need to ask the person in front of his door to identify himself but simply uttered, “You may come in, Kaname.”

Soon after he uttered his permission, the door was opened and the dark-skinned Shinigami stepped in.

“You are not joining Gin’s party?” Aizen asked as he spun the chair around so he could face his underling. From his tone of voice the question was meant more to be a conversation opener than an actual inquiry.

“Someone has to watch over Hueco Mundo,” Tōsen replied. “After all, we are at war and the Shinigami could make their moves at any moment.”

“You’re always thoughtful, Kaname,” Aizen praised. He would have made a gesture to the screen had he not recalled that the man he was talking to was blind. “By the way, does this mean you’re here because you also detected a breach at the twenty-second underground fortress?”

Instead of replying, Tōsen asked, “Should I alert the Espadas now?”

The ruler of Las Noches shook his head even though he was quite certain that his subordinate couldn’t see him do so.

“Let them have their fun,” Aizen stated. “Even if those invaders manage to get past our guards at the fortress, they wouldn’t reach here soon. Besides, it doesn’t look like the Espadas are in a condition to listen right now.”

Tōsen nodded. “If you say so, Aizen-sama.”

Aizen turned around so he could look at the screen again before he pressed another button on the remote control.

“I must say, however, that have I expected that they would come much sooner,” the brown-haired lord noted. “Though, on the upside, it gives us more time for our preparation. How far along is it, by the way? The preparation, I mean.”

“It should be done by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Good. Keep up the good work, then.”

“In this case, I should return to the preparation, Aizen-sama. I shall let you know as soon as the preparation is done.”

“Please do,” Aizen replied.

Tōsen bowed at his boss before he turned around and left. After Tōsen was gone, Aizen turned his attention back to the screen where a picture of a group of people breaking through the dimension and landing into one of his fortress was shown.

“Well, it’s about time.”

* * *

Inoue was having her weird-looking breakfast when the door of her room was suddenly opened from the outside. As expected, Ulquiorra walked in soon after that. After she saw the look on his face, the woman could tell that her captor was still troubled, though a woman’s intuition told her that it was a different kind of trouble from the last time. However, Orihime still couldn’t figure out what kind of trouble it really was.

Ulquiorra said nothing as he walked in and sat down on a giant sofa that was set in the middle of Inoue’s room. Even though Ulquiorra was in charge of her, it was still very rare for the Arrancar to actually come into the room without any message to relay. If he had nothing to say, he would simply look at her from the door and then leave or just ask someone to bring the food for her and report back to him. Therefore, Inoue could only assume that there had to be something wrong with her warden.

“Is something wrong, Ulquiorra-san?” she asked.

The Espada didn’t reply right away. In fact, he looked even more troubled by the question Inoue had just asked. It was as though he couldn’t quite make a decision whether he would discuss whatever was on his mind with her or keep it to himself.

Inoue pouted but instead of making any unnecessary comment, she continued eating. Maybe she had been thinking too much, and Ulquiorra was only there to make sure that she finished her meal.

A long moment had passed until Ulquiorra finally spoke, and that sentence he uttered made Inoue spew out the green tea she had just sipped.

“Hypothetically speaking, woman, if Grimmjow were to tell you that he wanted you as his lover, what would be your response?”

Inoue coughed and felt tears coming on her eyes, as she struggled to regain her composure.

“Hell no,” Inoue replied, and when she realized how uncharacteristically rude she had been she quickly corrected herself, “Er...I mean, I’d be really flattered, but I wouldn’t accept it.”

“Why?” Ulquiorra wondered.

Orihime began to feel extremely weirded out by the whole scenario, but she decided to answer it anyway.

“Well, don’t think of Grimmjow-san in that way. I mean, I hardly know him,” she explained. “Besides, I already have someone else that I like.”

Ulquiorra had a thoughtful look on his face.

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” Inoue replied. “Now please, please, please, don’t tell me that you come here and ask me those questions because Grimmjow-san is really interested in me in that way and asked you to test my reaction before he comes to ask me that himself.”

Once she finished her question, Orihime held her breath and bit her lower lip as she waited for an answer.

“He didn’t send me.”

Ulquiorra’s reply made Inoue sigh in relief. She wouldn’t know how to react if Grimmjow should really be interested in her in that sense. However, once the relief washed over her, another question popped up to her mind, so she furrowed her brows and looked at Ulquiorra with her head tilted slightly to the side.

“In that case, why did you suddenly ask me that question, Ulquiorra-san?” she inquired. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Because that was what he said to me last night.”

“Eh?” Inoue exclaimed, totally surprised. Although a fujoshi side of her was already squealing with glee, her more reasonable side had to wonder if it was really a topic Ulquiorra should discuss with her. Then again, Ulquiorra did look somewhat troubled earlier.

“Yes, ‘eh’ indeed,” Ulquiorra agreed, and suddenly stood up. “In any case, I should be off. I’ll tell someone to clean that up.”

By saying ‘that’, the raven-haired male gestured to tea that Inoue had earlier spewed.

“Wait a minute, Ulquiorra-san!” the girl called before her warden could leave the room. “You didn’t ask me those questions just so you could use my answer to reply to Grimmjow-san, did you?”

“Not directly, but I plan to use it as a reference.”

The girl blinked. As strange as it might sound, she could clearly picture Ulquiorra going around, asking all Las Noches residents what they would say should Grimmjow ever ask them to be his lover, and then making his decision based on the answers he would get.

“Using it as a reference doesn’t happen to mean you’d ask for everyone’s opinions and go with the majority, does it?”

Orihime couldn’t help feeling extremely sorry for Grimmjow when Ulquiorra gave her a look that implied that what she said was his plan, or at least, close enough. The Sexta Espada certainly chose the worst person to fall for.

“But this isn’t something you can make decision by following other people’s reasoning, Ulquiorra-san,” Inoue protested. “It’s something that’s supposed to be decided with your heart.”

“My heart? I do not have such a thing.”

“Well, that may be true, but at least you should ask yourself how you feel about the matter,” she pointed. “It certainly takes a lot of courage to confess your feelings to someone, Ulquiorra-san. Believe me. I know from my own experience. So the least you could do before you accept or reject the person is to give it a careful consideration. You can’t just go around and ask other people what they would do if they were in the same situation because they’re not the one being confessed to. It’s your answer that Grimmjow-san is looking for, not theirs.”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. Once again, he looked hesitant before he uttered his next words.

“It cannot be helped. I have no idea which criteria to use when I consider my answer.”

Inoue’s jaw dropped. She would have believed that it was a joke if it wasn’t for the fact that Ulquiorra looked dead serious.

“Err... well... let’s see... maybe you can start by asking yourself whether you can imagine yourself doing things that lovers do with Grimmjow-san.”

“Such as?”

“Holding hands, for a start.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows then he seemed to have recalled something before he asked, “Like a handshake?”

Inoue mentally face-palmed. She couldn’t be more sorry for Grimmjow at that point.

“Forget that one,” she sighed. “How about kissing? And when I said kiss I mean on the mouth.”

Ulquiorra’s expression didn’t shift when he replied, “We’ve already done that, so there is no need to imagine.”

“You have?” the girl asked, wide-eyed. “So how did it make you feel? Did it disgust you or did you like it?”

“It was good, actually.”

Orihime believed her fangirl mind had just exploded.

“Then what about sex? Can you imagine yourself doing that with Grimmjow-san?”

Ulquiorra seemed to be somewhat confused at how excited Inoue appeared to be with that conversation.

“We have already done that as well.”

Inoue coughed before she blushed profusely as her mind was suddenly flooded by several mental images. Although she was the one who asked, she still didn’t expect that Ulquiorra would answer it with such a straight face.

“Then what kept you thinking?” Inoue wondered. “Shouldn’t you have said yes to Grimmjow-san already?”

Although the woman had implied that the issue was a no-brainer, the Espada still looked perplexed.

“If those are things that lovers do, what makes them different from friends then?” he inquired.

Inoue blinked for a couple of times before she slowly came to recall that she had given Ulquiorra an impression that those things she had previously mentioned could be done between friends as well.

“Er...passion and commitment, I think,” the girl offered after having considered her answer. “For example, do you want to be his and want him to be yours exclusively? Do you get jealous if he become close or flirt with someone else? Is he your first thought when you become awake and the last when you go to sleep? Is his name the first that comes to your mind when you’re happy or when you’re sad? The answer would be no for a friend and yes for a lover.”

Once again, the Cuarta Espada had a puzzled look on his face.

“But I think it’s fine if you still can’t say yes to all of those questions yet,” Inoue observed. “I mean, people can’t just switch from friends to lovers over a night. That’s where dating comes in – so you can get to know more about each other for a romantic purpose and see if it’s possible for the feeling to grow into love. If it is, you can become lovers. If it isn’t, then you might want to go back to just being friends.”

Although the woman had spoken a lot, the Arrancar seemed to have caught only one thing since he asked, “What is love exactly? And what’s the point of it?”

While Orihime would say that she knew quite a few things about love and romance for a girl her age, she still couldn’t find the right way to answer Ulquiorra’s questions. After all, so many wise people had tried to define it, but they all gave different definitions. Not to mention, love itself took many different forms and was never the same for different people.

“Ah... it’s a very difficult concept to explain,” she noted. “but I believe it is the thing that you’ve always been looking for to fill the emptiness that you always felt there.”

By saying “there,” Inoue reached her hand out to the place where she knew for a fact that Ulquiorra’s Hollow hole was but stopped before she actually touched him. Subconsciously, the Arrancar looked at his own chest for a second, and once he looked back at the woman, she already gave him a warm smile.

“And you believe I can find it with him?”

Inoue seemed somewhat hesitant before she shook her head.

“I hope so, but there’s no way to tell for sure. But that’s not what I said, Ulquiorra-san,” she replied. “All I’m trying to do here is convincing you to think about this matter more carefully, using your own feelings.”

“Is that all you have to say, woman?”

Since the woman nodded, the Cuarta Espada turned back to the door and left. Orihime watched until the door was closed behind before she returned to her desk. It was confirmed. Grimmjow had certainly chosen the worst person to fall for. However, if someone who was as emotionless as Ulquiorra could contemplate on a matter of love, then perhaps there might still be some hope for them yet.

* * *

It was a late morning when Grimmjow was found sitting by the kitchen counter, sighing as he absently put marshmallows into the hot cocoa that was set in front of him.

Some weight might have been lifted from his shoulders after he had come clean with his feelings for Ulquiorra, yet he was still caught in some kind of fearful anticipation. As much as he was confident about his own charm, he still couldn’t be certain when it came to Ulquiorra. After all, the stoic Espada had no concept of emotion, much less relationship, that it was a big surprise that he had bothered to agree to consider Grimmjow’s word when he would have normally just deemed it pointless and brushed it off.

“Seriously, now, why does it have to be him?”

The soft question made the chef who was working behind the counter raised an eyebrow slightly, but the chef was not foolish enough to make any kind of comment. He simply kept cooking until he heard someone coming into the kitchen.

It looked as though Grimmjow was really deep in thought, since it wasn’t until the chef bowed at the newcomer and greeted, “Good morning, Ulquiorra-sama.” that Grimmjow realized another Espada had entered the kitchen and even seated himself on the stool right next to the one he was taking.

Ulquiorra acknowledged the chef’s greeting with a nod before he turned toward Grimmjow and commented, “I would expect you, of all people, to know that chocolate is poisonous to cats.”

Grimmjow could feel the vein on his forehead popping. He might have decided to give up on trying to convince Ulquiorra that he was not a cat, but it didn’t mean that the comment wouldn’t get under his skin every time.

“I won’t get killed by drinking a cup or two, thanks for your concern,” Grimmjow replied in a sarcastic tone. “Since when have you become an expert in cats anyway?”

“Since I decided to befriend you,” was Ulquiorra’s reply.

“You really do take everything seriously, don’t you?” the blue-haired male commented.

“Only the things that catch my interest,” the Cuarta Espada corrected.

“Hmm... in this case, maybe I should start researching bats.”

The light banter made Grimmjow feel a little relief that at the very least things had ceased to be awkward between them. However, the casualness of the conversation might also reflect on how very little his proposition could affect Ulquiorra.

The room fell into a long silence afterward, but Grimmjow couldn’t find any other way to break the silence except for asking, “Anyway... are you here for breakfast or for lunch?”

As it was probably the question that the chef had wanted to ask as well, the chef turned his attention to the two Espadas at the counter; however, the chef quietly scooted away once Ulquiorra replied, “Neither. I’m only here to talk to you.”

Grimmjow blinked before he turned to face Ulquiorra. Although it wouldn’t be strange for them to have some casual conversations, the Cuarta Espada wasn’t a person who would seek someone out just to chitchat. Therefore, he could only assume that the answer he had been waiting for would come much quicker than he anticipated, but he wasn’t sure if he was mentally prepared for it yet.

“I’ve thought about what you said to me last night,” Ulquiorra continued, confirming Grimmjow’s assumption.

“Wait!” Grimmjow interrupted, raising his hands in a gesture for Ulquiorra not to say a word yet. “Just give me a few seconds to prepare my heart, will you? I didn’t expect you to answer me this quick.”

“But it would be bad to keep you waiting for too long, wouldn’t it?” Ulquiorra asked. “Isn’t there a saying about cats and curiosity?”

“Yeah, though I don’t know if it fits with this context,” Grimmjow stated. Then he sighed. “But I guess you’re right. It’s better to hear it sooner rather than later. I’m never good at waiting.”

Ulquiorra noticed that while the Sexta Espada was saying those words, his blue eyes were focusing on the hot chocolate whereas his hands were holding the cup tightly. He watched the man for a while before he asked, “Is it fine to say it now?”

Grimmjow didn’t have a chance to answer, however, because Aizen’s suave voice suddenly came out of nowhere to interrupt their conversation.

“All Espadas please report at the meeting room now. I repeat, all Espadas please report at the meeting room now.”

“What the hell?” Grimmjow yelped after the line was finished.

Ulquiorra furrowed his thick brows for a moment.

“It appears we have an unscheduled meeting, so perhaps we should continue this discussion later,” the Cuarta Espada commented as he rose from his seat. “Let’s go.”

Ulquiorra didn’t wait for Grimmjow’s response as he suddenly headed off to the meeting room. Grimmjow blinked for a couple of times. No matter what Ulquiorra might have been, it seemed there was still no way for him to win against Aizen’s order.

“Goddamn it, I should’ve just let him say it outright. Now curiosity is really killing me.”

With a frustrated growl, Grimmjow rose from his seat and followed Ulquiorra to the meeting room.

* * *

By the time Grimmjow reached to the meeting room, other Espadas were already there. Nnoitra and Szayelaporro were mumbling something about a hangover while Starrk said something about having his sleep pattern disrupted. Yammy was complaining about having been interrupted during his mealtime. Barragan, Harribel, Zommari and Aaroneiro were discussing the reason why Aizen should call for a meeting. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, remained quiet in his seat as he waited for Aizen to come.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and took his seat across to Ulquiorra’s. It was a good thing that he didn’t have to wait long for the three Shinigami to arrive to the room.

“Good morning, my dear Espadas, and thank you all for coming in such a short notice,” Aizen said smoothly as he walked toward the meeting table while Ichimaru and Tōsen stopped at the end of the stairs. “It appears someone has breached into our territory.”

Once again there was some muttering at the meeting table, but the muttering ended before Aizen had to say anything about it.

“Kaname, the hologram, please.”

Tōsen nodded before he turned to pull a lever on the wall behind him, which caused the middle of the table to move so a hologram projector could start working.

Once the hologram was shown, Aizen continued:

“As you can see, the invaders have already brought down one of our fortresses and are heading toward Las Noches as we speak. There are totally eight invaders. Their names are Kuchiki Byakuya, Abarai Renji, Zaraki Kenpachi, Kusajishi Yachiru, Kuchiki Rukia, Sado Yasutora, Ishida Uryū, and Kurosaki Ichigo.”

Barragan snorted. “So these are our enemies? All of them look weak.”

“Yeah,” Nnoitra agreed. “I thought they’d send someone more challenging to the front line. Can’t say I’m gonna enjoy killing any of them.”

“I wouldn’t look down on any of them, since all of them are either at a lieutenant or a captain level,” Aizen remarked.

“In that case, what do you want us to do, Aizen-sama?” Ulquiorra spoke for the first time since he entered the meeting room. “Should we intercept them before they could reach to the palace?”

“No. There is no need for anyone to do anything right now,” Aizen replied calmly.

“You mean you’re just gonna let them march into Las Noches?” Szayelaporro asked. “Personally, I don’t have any complaints since I can fight best in my own wings, but the others might not agree with me.”

Everyone expected that Grimmjow would at least make a comment, since they all knew that the Sexta Espada had some unfinished business with a certain orange-haired hybrid and would probably not be too fond of the fact that he would have to wait until he could fight Kurosaki Ichigo again.

Sensing some eyes on him, Grimmjow decided that it was his cue to say something.

“Who cares? If they’re gonna get crushed, they’re gonna get crushed. It doesn’t matter where or when.”

“Heh?” Nnoitra uttered, raising an eyebrow. “I, for one, thought you couldn’t wait to get out there and fight them. Well, at least one of them anyway.”

Grimmjow glanced at the projector and watched the picture of Ichigo running in the desert for a moment. Yes, he still wanted to beat that kid once and for all, but lately, there were other thoughts occupying his mind, so he was not as focused on that matter as he had been before.

“Maybe Ulquiorra’s calmness is rubbing off on him,” Gin commented from his post.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Grimmjow shrugged and remarked, “Who knows? You could be right.”

Aizen smiled at the development.

“In any case, you should all return to your quarters and prepare yourselves for the battle to come,” said the lord of Las Noches. “Need not worry. As long as you follow me, the enemies cannot touch us.”

With that last words, Aizen rose from his seat, signaling that the meeting was adjourned. The Espadas bowed slightly to the Shinigami then waited for all of them to leave the room before they scattered around to different directions.

* * *

Unlike other Espadas that were already on their way back to their respective wings in Las Noches, Ulquiorra stood by the door and waited for Grimmjow to join him there.

Since Grimmjow believed that Ulquiorra remained there to finish the conversation that had been interrupted earlier, he had to be surprised when the first thing Ulquiorra spoke when their eyes met was, “Regarding Kurosaki Ichigo, what do you really plan to do about him?”

The Sexta Espada furrowed his brows. He couldn’t tell why Ulquiorra was interested in the subject when it shouldn’t have concerned the man whatever he intended to do with that orange-haired hybrid.

“I won’t go out to hunt him when he’s still in the desert, but once he reaches here, it’ll be a whole different story,” he said truthfully.

Ulquiorra acknowledged the reply with a nod. “In other words, you still intend to fight him.”

“I intend to kill him,” Grimmjow corrected. “Is that a problem?”

Ulquiorra shook his head.

“No. I’m just a little curious.”

With that, the man turned as if he were to walk away right after hearing Grimmjow’s plan.

“Oi, Ulquiorra, didn’t you forget something?” Grimmjow asked, stopping Ulquiorra from leaving.

Ulquiorra turned to look at Grimmjow with a raised eyebrow, wordlessly asking the man what he might have forgotten.

“We still have a conversation to finish,” the Sexta Espada supplied.

The Cuarta Espada closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them as he replied, “I didn’t forget. I just thought that there are more important things to focus on now that we could be attacked by the enemies at any moment.”

Grimmjow sighed.

“Yeah, the war is important, but so what? It’s not like I asked you to be my lover just to pass the time while we waited for the Shinigami to make their moves.” Scratching the back of his head, the blue-haired man continued, “Well, I know we should focus more on the battle at hand, but you should already know by now that I have a one-track mind, so I can’t focus on a new issue unless the old one is already solved. Since you said you already had your answer, then just tell me already.”

There was a faint trace of amusement behind Ulquiorra’s emerald eyes when the man commented, “You really do have no patience, Grimmjow.”

“Yeah, well, sue me,” Grimmjow retorted, rolling his eyes.

“This makes me wonder how long you planned to allow me to think over this matter in the first place.”

“Obviously longer than one night, but you were the one who approached me and said you already thought it through, so is there any point in dragging it on?”

“I’m not trying to test your patience if that’s what you think,” Ulquiorra countered.

“Yeah, I know, it just looks that way,” Grimmjow returned in a sarcastic tone. “Anyway, just so you won’t have to ask again, I’m more than ready to hear your answer now, so just say it no matter what it is.”

“In that case, I must first tell you that I haven’t a clue about what lovers are supposed to be to one another,” the pale wielder of Murciélago remarked.

Grimmjow pursed his lips. To be completely honest, he had expected that he would hear that kind of sentence from Ulquiorra, for the man had shown for too many times how very little knowledge he had about relationship.

“However,” Ulquiorra continued, “the woman had suggested a couple of things to take to my consideration before I gave you my answer, and I have thought about them.”

Grimmjow would have made some comments about Inoue’s credibility and warned Ulquiorra not to put too much trust to her, but he decided to hold his tongue as his words would only keep him from hearing Ulquiorra’s final answer.

“And?” The Sexta Espada prompted after he thought Ulquiorra had taken too long a pause.

“And I don’t think I’m at a level where I can see you as a lover yet.”

Grimmjow closed his eyes. There was no word that could quite describe the feeling he had as his heart sank. It took a lot of willpower for the blue-haired man to push back his disappointment, and it took all self-control he ever possessed for him not to do anything rash. He did, after all, told Ulquiorra that he would still like to keep their friendship should the man ever say that he couldn’t consider him as a lover.

It took a moment until Grimmjow finally managed to force out a nod and a word, “Okay.”

“However,” Ulquiorra continued after he had studied the change in Grimmjow’s expression for a moment, “I might be able reach to that level, given enough time.”

Grimmjow blinked. It took a moment until Ulquiorra’s word finally registered, and he couldn’t help wondering if that man got off on shaking him up.

“Does this mean you haven’t completely rejected me?” he asked just to confirm. While he believed there was no other way to interpret Ulquiorra’s sentence into something other than that the man had given him a green light to court him, Grimmjow wasn’t in a position where he could afford some false hope.

“That depends on whether or not you wish to wait for my feelings to reach there.”

Since he was rather mixed-up with so many different emotions that hit him all at once, Grimmjow didn’t really know how he should react to that except for saying, “Something is telling me you only said this because you were curious about a relationship between lovers and wanted to experience it yourself.”

“Is that a problem?” Ulquiorra wondered.

“No,” Grimmjow replied, shaking his head. Although he had hoped to get a better answer and a more sentimental reason from Ulquiorra, he considered himself lucky enough that Ulquiorra didn’t simply reject him. “That will do, for now.”


	14. Chapter 14

After he had left the meeting room, Lord Aizen returned to his private quarters where he continued watching the invaders movements with a rather uninterested expression on his face. Standing right behind Aizen’s seat was his right-hand man, Ichimaru Gin, who tilted his head as if he was curious about something.

“If it’s so boring to watch, then why don’t you switch to something else?” the silver-haired man wondered aloud. “Weren’t you the one who said that we shouldn’t be worried and just let them through?”

“I was,” Aizen confirmed. His brown eyes had never left the screen that displayed the group of invaders heading straight towards Las Noches after they had brought down the first fort they encountered. “And I’m  _not_ worried. However, I am slightly curious as to why they haven’t tried to break in until now. Soul Society might not want to rush things until they are truly ready, but I don’t think Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends would abide by their order.”

Gin’s smile couldn’t get any wider when the man turned his attention back to the screen.

“Ah, yes, that’s a surprise indeed. I thought they’d rush here right after Orihime-chan disappeared from the face of the earth, but they sure took their sweet time to get here,” Gin agreed. “Hueco Mundo can’t really be that impenetrable, can it?”

It was unclear even to Aizen if the silver-haired Shinigami thought Hueco Mundo’s defense was bad or he thought the Gotei 13 was incompetent, but the brown-haired lord didn’t seem to mind either case.

“Which is why I’m curious,” Aizen remarked.

The smile on Gin’s face became slightly more wicked when he asked, “Are you saying that there are things that don’t go according to your plan, Aizen-taichō?”

Aizen responded with a smile.

“Why, Gin? Do you really believe that I am that perfect?”

Ichimaru laughed and replied with a noncommittal, “Well, aren’t you?”

Aizen couldn’t help feeling as if Gin was trying to provoke him somewhat with that kind of reply, yet his calm facade was still far from dropping.

“Nothing in this world is ever perfect,” Aizen stated. “The reason my plan is perceived as perfect is due to the power of suggestion and the fact that it is more convenient for the Shinigami to believe they were outsmarted by a very well thought out than to accept that I was lucky and they were stupid.”

Ichimaru responded with another laughed.

“I’m hardly perfect, Gin. There are limits to my abilities,” Aizen admitted. “While powerful, my Kyōka Suigetsu isn’t perfect either. If you are strong enough, you can sense that something is not right, even though you won’t be able to tell exactly what is wrong, and also its power can be nullified if you touch its blade before the complete hypnosis is fully activated.”

An expression on Gin’s ever so smiling face shifted slightly after he heard such a comment from his leader, but whether Aizen noticed such change or not remained a mystery as the man simply continued:

“If I were perfect, there would be no need to invent something like the Hōgyoku, much less fuse myself with it.”

At that point, the smile that always presented itself on Ichimaru’s face completely faded.

“With the Hōgyoku fused with me, I can finally break all boundaries and become a perfect being,” said Aizen. “Now all I have to do is waiting for the Hōgyoku to be fully awakened.”

Although Aizen made it sounded as though it was an everyday occurrence that he shouldn’t have concerned himself about, Gin was still astounded by the full disclosure.

“So this is why you tell the Espadas not to make any move yet?” he asked after a long moment. Although he had followed Aizen for long enough to know that the man would do anything to stand above all else, he never thought the man would go so far as to use the Hōgyoku on himself. “Because the power of the Hōgyoku that you fused with yourself has yet to reach its peak?”

“That and because we don’t have as many spy cameras in the desert as we do here in Las Noches, so it would be troublesome should I want to observe any fight more closely.”

A smile returned to Ichimaru’s face although he was still unsure what he should feel about the unexpected development.

“At least now I know there are more points for those hidden cameras than just to watch the Arrancars’ daily routines,” he commented.

“And there is also a point to making the hallway movable other than to have fun watching some Arrancars getting lost in the middle of the palace,” Aizen added casually.

Gin’s smile turned slightly more wicked as he stated, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, taichō. There’s no need to manipulate the hallways just for the sake of watching someone getting lost when Las Noches is already built like a maze to begin with.”

“I see,” Aizen nodded. “So you only manipulated those hallways because you want to do some redecoration.”

Ichimaru chuckled but said nothing to either confirm or deny Aizen’s statement.

“By the way, taichō, what do you think took them so long to come here?”

Aizen rubbed his chin with his long finger while kept his eyes focused on the screen.

“It might have something to do with Urahara Kisuke,” Aizen presumed. “After all, no matter what Soul Society’s strategies are, if that man chose not to open the Garganta, they wouldn’t be able to do anything but wait until we march into Karakura Town. Why that man chose not to act until now, however, is still unclear to me.”

“Ah...he is quite a mysterious case, isn’t he?” Gin observed.

“However, it doesn’t matter what their reason really is. The fact that they make their way here now means that they believe they are ready to face us, and it makes things more exciting.”

Ichimaru nodded in agreement.

“Yes. I can’t wait to see how much they’ve improved over these last couple of months,” said the silver-haired Shinigami, “especially that Substitute Shinigami.”

“That makes the two of us, Gin,” Aizen stated. “In fact, I’ve got a rather high expectation of him since I found out about his existence, so I hope he won’t turn out to be a disappointment.”

“So do I, taichō,” Ichimaru stated in a slightly more serious tone than usual, “so do I.”

As they mentioned him, the face of one Kurosaki Ichigo appeared to be in the focus of the screen yet again, and that time the spy camera remained on the boy rather than to capture the image of the whole group of invaders.

* * *

While Aizen and Ichimaru were having their little discussion, the invaders were making their way towards Las Noches. Running in front of the group was an orange-haired Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo. Running half a step behind him were the last Quincy, Ishida Uryū; a quiet Mestizo, Sado “Chad” Yasutora; and a red-haired lieutenant of the Sixth Division, Abarai Renji. Falling slightly behind them were the Kuchiki siblings, who were in matching brown mantles, and a grinning Zaraki Kenpachi whose right shoulder was occupied by a certain pink-haired girl, Kusajishi Yachiru.

“Ne Ken-chan, we’ve been running toward it for hours already, but we still haven’t got any closer to it,” Yachiru commented from her spot on Kenpachi’s shoulder. “Are you sure it’s really Ai-chan’s hideout and not just his fantasy thingy?”

It was inevitable for Ichigo, Ishida and Chad to put on a stupid expression when they heard Yachiru referred to Aizen as “Ai-chan” and dubbed the man’s complete hypnosis “fantasy thingy”.

The captain of the Eleventh Division, however, didn’t share that surprise when he replied with a flat, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it is. These kids haven’t seen Aizen’s shikai, so they would’ve been able to tell us if we were just tilting at windmills. And what’s with that nickname?”

“Huh? But I always called Ai-chan Ai-chan,” Yachiru protested. “And why would anyone build a windmill in a place like this?”

Zaraki rolled his eyes. “It’s an idiom, brat.”

Yachiru huffed. “This isn’t fun at all. Why didn’t Ura-Ura just send us inside that building, or at least closer to it?”

“Don’t complain, brat. It’s not like you did any running,” Zaraki commented even though deep down he was already sick of running and wanted to get into a real fight already.

“Actually, for once, I believe your lieutenant made a good point.”

Much to everyone’s surprise the comment came from a certain stoic black-haired captain, Kuchiki Byakuya.

“Urahara Kisuke has taken months to prepare that portal, yet he still sent us to the middle of nowhere. It is almost as if he is deliberately trying to waste more of our time.”

Even though he agreed with Byakuya to some degree and thought about going back to slash that sly shop owner for prolonging him from a fun fight, Kenpachi couldn’t help himself from saying, “Eh? Don’t tell me you can’t handle some running,  _obocchama*_?”

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, knowing all too well how Zaraki was meaning to mock him.

“Don’t start with me, Zaraki,” he warned.

“Or else what?” Kenpachi returned, unfazed. In fact, he sounded rather pleased by the fact that he managed to rile the noble up, and would be more than happy to fight Byakuya even though they were supposed to be on the same team.

Sensing what was going on, everyone opened their mouth slightly as if to try to say something to break the tension between the two captains, but it was Ichigo who managed to act the fastest.

“Man, seriously,” Ichigo began. “Why the hell are you guys here again?”

That appeared to be a good question, since Byakuya’s eyes left Kenpachi to glare at Ichigo with disdain.

“We should be the one who ask you that question, Kurosaki Ichigo. This war is between Soul Society and Aizen Sōsuke; therefore, it is our duty to defeat him, while you and your friends have no business in being here.”

Ichigo gritted his teeth. Somehow, he felt that at that rate they would have to fight amongst themselves before they could fight their enemies.

“Look, I can’t care less about Soul Society’s feud with Aizen, but the moment he got my friends and my hometown involved, I can’t just sit back and say it’s none of my business.”

Although they didn’t say anything, Chad and Ishida both nodded as if to say they agreed with Ichigo’s point.

“Heck, I would’ve been here sooner if Urahara-san hadn’t kept insisting that he needed more time to study about a Garganta, though personally, I think he’s known how to open the portal all along and just been trolling us.”

“Oh, well, the bottom line is we’re finally in Hueco Mundo,” Rukia finally decided to intercept, “so let’s not be too concerned about Urahara and his scheme and just concentrate on getting that fortress.”

Renji nodded in agreement.

“You know what, Kuchiki? Your little sister has a point,” Zaraki stated. “So let’s keep moving, and hope we’ll reach to Aizen’s headquarters soon so we can finally get some actions started. I’m bored with this endless running already.”

With that said, Zaraki sprinted off and led the group for the first time. Since all Shinigami knew that Zaraki was never good with direction, Renji turned to his current captain and asked, “Err... taichō, are you sure it’s a good idea to allow Zaraki-taichō to lead?”

Byakuya put on an indifferent look when he replied, “In any other circumstance, I wouldn’t have trusted his judgment in direction, but with the destination being seen so clearly, I doubt even a retard could get himself—”

The captain of the Sixth Division didn’t manage to finish his sentence when the barbaric captain of the Eleventh Division collided into a big hollow whose whole body was made of sand.

“—a sand Hollow?”

Zaraki’s maniacal laugh resounded in the empty cold desert as the Shinigami unsheathed his sword and attacked the new enemies, while the rest of his companions braced themselves for the battle.

* * *

“That looks like they won’t reach here until another while.”

Nnoitra commented after he stopped for a few seconds to look at one of many random TV screens in the hallways that were broadcasting some live updates of the intruders fighting with the Guardian of the White Sands.

Also in that hallway watching the TV with his arm crossed above his chest while leaning slightly against one wall was Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, although it seemed the Sexta Espada had made a point to ignore Nnoitra’s presence entirely.

“Personally, I don’t like the suspense, but you probably don’t want them to get here soon, eh, Grimmjow?”

Since it was impossible to continue ignoring the man after he was being directly addressed, Grimmjow replied, “What the fuck are you getting at, Nnoitra? Are you implying that I’m afraid of them?”

“Nah. Don’t get me wrong. I kinda ‘overheard’ that you and Ulquiorra are now dating, so I thought you might wanna spend more lovey-dovey time with the guy than to fight off some stupid invaders.”

It was unknown what kind of reaction Nnoitra had expected to see from Grimmjow from saying that sentence, but whatever that was, it was definitely not that the blue-haired Espada would just sigh in resignation and said, “Looks like it’s impossible to keep any fucking secret in Las Noches.”

Nnoitra blinked and knitted his brows, not quite pleased with Grimmjow’s calm response.

“So you’re really dating him?”

Grimmjow glared at the higher rank Espada.

“Why? Do you have any fucking problem with that?” he asked. “Weren’t you the one who commented that I was in love with him?”

Nnoitra pulled a disbelieved face before he burst out laughing.

“Oh, man, seriously?” the Quinta Espada continued laughing. “Oh, well, does this mean you’re gonna swear abstinence from now on?”

“What are you babbling on about?”

“Well, you know, as hard as I try, I can’t really imagine Ulquiorra having sex. I mean, it doesn’t go well with his holier-than-thou attitude. And haven’t you once mentioned something like sex is only good when both parties enjoyed themselves?”

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes once again.

“I only have three things to say, Nnoitra. One, keep Ulquiorra out of your perverted imagination. Two, don’t stick your ugly nose into my love life. And three, if you’re just gonna keep spouting nonsense, get the fuck outta my face before I beat your sorry ass.”

Nnoitra didn’t seem to be scared by Grimmjow’s threat. In fact, he seemed to get a kick out of irritating Grimmjow, since he continued laughing.

“Oh, it’s good to know that you haven’t gone all soft yet,” Nnoitra commented. “We have more than enough of weaklings around here already.”

A sound of a door being open averted Nnoitra’s attention from Grimmjow for a moment before he turned back.

“Anyway, it looks like your new boyfriend is finally out of Pet-sama’s room, so I’d better not interrupt you two. Later then, Grimmjow.”

With that, Nnoitra walked off while continued laughing on his way.

* * *

Ulquiorra had a curious expression when he watched after a certain spoon-like Espada walking down the hallway, laughing hysterically. He then closed the door behind him and turned his head to another direction and saw a moody Grimmjow standing there, muttering a string of curses under his breath.

“Did something happen between you and Nnoitra?”

“Never mind that. He’s just being his usual perverted self,” Grimmjow stated as he stood up straight. “Anyway, why do you always have to spend a long time in that woman’s room? I thought your duty is just to make sure she stays alive until Aizen no longer needs her.”

Any other person would have already accused the Sexta Espada of being jealous, which would be correct, but Ulquiorra had probably got no clue about such emotion, since he only replied in his apathetic tone:

“I was letting her know that her friends have finally come to her rescue, and that it is likely that they’re not going to make it through to Las Noches alive.”

The Sexta Espada raised an eyebrow before he shook his head.

“You know, you can really be such a heartless son of a bitch sometimes, Ulquiorra, and I really can’t decide whether I should love or hate that side of yours.”

Ulquiorra considered Grimmjow’s comment for a moment before he simply ignored the first part of the commented and just replied with, “If it’d be any consolation, there are many things that I can’t decide whether I should like or dislike about you as well.”

Grimmjow chuckled slightly. The moodiness he had earlier seemed to have disappeared with that comment.

“So what’s that woman’s reaction? I bet she’d be pretty upset, since you sorta jinxed her friends.”

“I didn’t jinx anyone. All I did was merely stating my opinion,” Ulquiorra pointed. “Oddly enough, I believe I can understand why she would be upset to hear my thought, and I can also see why her friends would come for her even though they didn’t know for sure if she is still alive or if she has betrayed them when before I would have said it was purely due to their stupidity.”

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” Ulquiorra nodded. “However, let’s not discuss that now.”

Ulquiorra then motioned his head to one direction as if to tell Grimmjow that was where he wished to go, so Grimmjow gave him a shrug before he shoved his hands into his hakama pockets and headed towards that direction.

“Anyway, what now?”

Grimmjow blinked twice as the question came without any preamble.

“And by asking me ‘what now’, you’re talking about...?”

“The stage of our relationship,” Ulquiorra supplied in a business-like manner. “As you have already known I do not know much about relationship. Normally, I would try to get some information out of the woman, but from the way things are now, I doubt she would be of any help.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t completely trust her anyway,” Grimmjow commented, feeling slightly relieved to know that Ulquiorra wouldn’t discuss their relationship with Inoue at least for the time being.

“So?” Ulquiorra asked, bringing the conversation back to the previous subject. “What now?”

“So I guess you can say we’re dating,” the Sexta Espada replied. “Though, it makes me feel kinda weird. I mean, to be completely honest with you, Ulquiorra, I never really dated anyone.”

The Cuarta Espada quirked an eyebrow.

“I thought you’re an expert in this kind of matter.”

Grimmjow couldn’t help smiling at the comment since it almost sounded like a compliment from Ulquiorra’s part.

“Ah, well, how can I say this? I may have had my fair share of affairs, but they were never really lasted long enough for me to count anyone as a lover, or at least not according to human’s definition,” the Sexta Espada explained in all honesty. “I mean, most of time we hit it off: we went to bed together: and then we went our separate ways. And that’s that. Of course, there were a few times when the sex was exceptionally great and we decided to stay together afterward, but eventually either of us would get bored of being with the same person for a long time, and when that happened, we just broke it off and started looking for someone new again. I’d say they were all just physical – no lingering attachment.”

“Why did you say you wanted me as a lover, then?” Ulquiorra wondered. “It’s not because of the sex, I’m sure. I’m not saying that it wasn’t good, but I’m sure you’ve had better.”

Grimmjow took a moment to consider Ulquiorra’s words. From the man’s expression, he believed Ulquiorra only asked that question because he was being his realistic and rational self rather than feeling inferior to Grimmjow’s previous flings, and it made it harder for Grimmjow to find a good explanation. If Ulquiorra was feeling inferior to his other sexual partners, Grimmjow could just lie and say that their sex was the greatest even though it wasn’t, but since the man was just being rational, he had to find an answer to the question that he couldn’t quite answer himself yet.

“It’s... kinda complicated,” Grimmjow replied. “You see, I can’t tell you exactly why. It’s just this... thing – this... tingling feeling that I have. Maybe it’s because you’re different. Or maybe Nnoitra was right for once, and I’m really in love with you.”

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow as if to tell Grimmjow to explain further.

“Don’t ask me to go into detail, Ulquiorra, because I don’t really understand either,” said the Sexta Espada. “I mean, I always believed that love was nothing more than just a sweet word Human and Shinigami created as an excuse for having sex and a heart was a fancy concept they made up so that they could feel superior to us Hollow and justify their reasons for trying to end our kind. But maybe there’s more to it that, and maybe that’s why I still want you as my lover when I’d normally lost interest after I slept with that person.”

Ulquiorra nodded, and much to Grimmjow’s surprise, he remarked, “I suppose in a way that makes sense.”

“It does? Coz I don’t think I made any sense about it.”

“Yes, it does,” Ulquiorra confirmed with a nod. “I mean, you said it yourself that it was a concept thought up by human or Shinigami, but when I asked the woman what love was, she couldn’t explain it to me properly. So if somehow you ended up having such a feeling, it wouldn’t be surprising at all for you not to understand it.”

Grimmjow blinked twice. If what he said earlier could be defined as a confession, then Ulquiorra’s unruffled reply would have been recorded as the strangest response to a love confession yet. However, since Ulquiorra was Ulquiorra, Grimmjow decided not to dwell on it too much, except for the part where Ulquiorra would talk openly about love and relationship with the human girl.

“Say, Ulquiorra, what exactly is your relationship with the woman?”

“There is no relationship between she and I.”

That reply was expected, but Grimmjow still found himself feeling irritated by it regardless.

“But haven’t you asked her for advice and opinion from time to time?”

“Only when I view her as a reliable source of information.”

“So you’re saying that she’s just a prisoner and a convenient source of information.”

“Yes. Why?”

“Nothing,” Grimmjow shrugged. “It’s just that sometimes you seem to be awfully close to her.”

“It’s only because Aizen-sama has placed her in my watch, or I wouldn’t have associated with her to begin with,” Ulquiorra stated. “Besides, you’re the only person I have a personal relationship with.”

Grimmjow could feel some heat rising up his face.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Grimmjow said, feeling somewhat stupid. If he were to think about it more carefully, up until recently, Ulquiorra was too socially inept to have any sort of relationship with anyone, and the only reason they had changed from being colleagues who hated each other to the way they were then was due to a little push from that woman. “And I guess I owe it to that woman. Though that doesn’t mean that I won’t get jealous of her from time to time.”

Ulquiorra knitted his brows and turned to study Grimmjow’s expression before he asked, “Why would you be jealous of her?”

Grimmjow face-palmed.

“Seriously, Ulquiorra, do I have to spell everything out for you?” Knowing the man, perhaps that was what he had to do. “Let me say this then: when you’re in relationship with someone, you kinda expect to be the most important person in that person’s eyes, so it’s kinda natural for you to get a little jealous when you think that the person was closer to someone else.”

Ulquiorra thought about it for a moment before he asked, “Then I’m supposed to feel ‘a little jealous’ when you’re close to someone else; for example, like when earlier when you’re discussing something with Nnoitra?”

“You don’t need to feel jealous just because I exchanged some death threats with him,” Grimmjow said, sighing.

Ulquiorra tilted his head, and his next question made Grimmjow wanted to just bite his tongue and die. “Then when should I be jealous?”

“These things come naturally. If you do, you do. If you don’t, then you don’t. It’s not a requirement or an obligation,” was all Grimmjow could say, “so don’t force yourself.”

“Oh. I see.”

The Sexta Espada sighed, and said nothing as he kept walking beside Ulquiorra down the corridor.

“Then what about other things?” Ulquiorra asked. “Like physical contacts. Are there any rules about that or is it something that you do when you feel like?”

Grimmjow turned sharply to look at Ulquiorra. His cyan eyes were a shade darker than normal when he asked, “And if I said there are rules, would you blindly follow them?”

“Probably.”

Grimmjow closed his eyes and let out a huge sigh of despair.

“Jeez, Ulquiorra, stop testing my limit already,” he said. “I’ve tricked you into sleeping with me once already, so what makes you think I won’t do the same again?”

“Because I trust you, Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra stated. “And as for the matter of having sex, you might have seduced me first, but in the end, I was the one who consented it.”

“But you might not have if you weren’t under an impression that it was a normal thing for friends to do.”

Grimmjow’s word made Ulquiorra realized that the man still felt more or less guilty about what happened between them and probably thought that Ulquiorra held some grudge over it, when in fact, he didn’t.

“Perhaps or perhaps not,” Ulquiorra replied noncommittally. “But I suppose this means a physical contact is also something you decide to do by your own free will?”

“Yeah, but your partner has to agree to it, too.”

“I see,” Ulquiorra nodded before he stopped walking and turned around to look directly into Grimmjow’s eyes. “So if I should feel like, for example, kissing you, then I should ask for your permission first?”

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and glared darkly at Ulquiorra, “You really  _are_  testing my limit, aren’t you?”

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows and looked at Grimmjow as if he couldn’t understand what the blue-haired Espada was accusing him of.

“Well, I suppose that’s a yes, but what if your partner doesn’t permit it?”

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. Even then he wasn’t sure if it was tiring or amusing to be in a relationship with someone who was as clueless as Ulquiorra.

“I guess you have to hold yourself back and act like a gentleman or you can always try to seduce the person.”

“And how would you seduce them, say if you want to kiss them?”

Grimmjow gave Ulquiorra a peculiar look before he sighed and remarked, “Well, in our case, should you ever want to kiss me, you can go ahead and do it, coz I’m always more than willing, but if you’re just asking out of curiosity—”

The rest of Grimmjow's sentence was silenced when Ulquiorra tactlessly pulled his face down for a kiss. The kiss wasn’t forceful per se, yet it was enough to make Grimmjow’s eyes go wide with surprise for a second before he closed them and returned to kiss with a lot more enthusiasm.

He couldn’t quite recall the time when he would get that much excited by a simple kiss, but his heart was beating quite wildly that he feared it could explode at any second. And that kiss from Ulquiorra was no more than a gentle brush of lips.

When they broke the kiss, Ulquiorra was looking at him with half-lidded emerald eyes, and it was then that he remembered that despite how innocent he might have appeared to be Ulquiorra was also a guy, and one who wasn’t afraid to express himself at that. The only reason Ulquiorra never actually engaged in any sexual activities in the past was merely because the man wasn’t interested in the subject at first, believing it was something pointless and a total waste of time, and not because he was some blushing virgin who saved himself for a special someone. Why Ulquiorra changed his mind about it then was beyond Grimmjow’s understanding, but he would thank whatever it was that inspired Ulquiorra to choose him as a partner.

“Ulquiorra?”

“Well, then Grimmjow, I suppose this is where we say good night.”

Once again, Ulquiorra’s word made him blink with confusion, but to the Sexta Espada’s credit, it didn’t take him long to realize that they were actually standing in front of Ulquiorra’s private quarters and that Ulquiorra had already turned around to open his door.

“Unless, of course, you’d like to come in.”

And with that Ulquiorra walked into his room without actually closing the door behind. Though, unexpected, Grimmjow was not going to complain. The task of changing Ulquiorra’s perspective on things could take forever, and he was at his limit already. For the time being, he didn’t mind being thought of as a very cooperative test subject in Ulquiorra’s affectional experiment. Everything else could wait for later.

Somehow he felt he might end up being wrapped around Ulquiorra’s little fingers rather than the other way around, but that still didn’t stop him from replying:

“Don’t mind if I do then.”

With that, he followed Ulquiorra in and closed the door behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *obocchama = a cutesy way of saying young master


	15. Chapter 15

Although Grimmjow had fooled around a lot, it was the first time since he could remember that he was actually nervous when he entered someone’s room with sex in his mind. If Ulquiorra were anybody else, the kiss that he gave him earlier would have been considered as a playful seduction. However, since it was from Ulquiorra, it could be just about anything; and the man could have just let him in for an entirely nonsexual reason, such as to continue their discussion or to have some tea.

Even so, Grimmjow wouldn’t call himself a man if he let the chance slip away without making any move. After all, it wasn’t every day that Ulquiorra would invite him into his private quarters.

Ulquiorra still looked as impassive as ever when he looked over his shoulder after he heard the door close with a soft click, though the man’s emerald eyes were widened the moment Grimmjow suddenly pushed up against him from behind and wound his arms around the man’s slim waist.

His voice was filled with urgency when he whispered hotly into Ulquiorra’s ear, “Push me off if you don’t want this.”

When he said “this,” Grimmjow didn’t only talk about the hug, and he believed Ulquiorra understood it as well since the man held on to Grimmjow’s forearms for a moment before he finally replied in a soft, yet firm tone, “It’s fine.”

To be completely honest, he didn’t know why Ulquiorra decided to grant him that permission. As he still clearly remembered how Ulquiorra deemed sex pointless, Grimmjow doubted it was because Ulquiorra suddenly had some carnal desires. It could be because the man was still curious about the reason why some insisted on doing something even when it didn’t have any real purpose, or it could be because he believed that he was obligated to do so since they were dating, or he felt pity for Grimmjow after hearing how he was at his limit. However, Grimmjow had already past his caring point.

He could contemplate those possibilities and sulk about them later when his head was clearer, but at that moment, he only wanted to hold Ulquiorra close and make love to the man until they were both melted with pleasure.

With that thought, Grimmjow unwound his right arm from Ulquiorra’s waist and used his hand to tilt Ulquiorra’s chin so he could place his kiss down on those thin lips while guiding them both toward the double bed that was set at the corner of Ulquiorra’s room.

The kiss started out slow and gentle, yet it soon intensified into a battle of tongues. Grimmjow could taste green tea and honey Ulquiorra drank earlier during the meeting, and he thought it suited the man well.

Yearning for more skin contact, Grimmjow skillfully unzipped Ulquiorra’s jacket with one hand then quickly removed that jacket out of his way and dropped it haphazardly down to the floor. Once he was done with the task, he kissed down Ulquiorra’s neck to his chest then stopped to nibble and suck at Ulquiorra’s nipple, then shifted to the other side to give it an equal treatment while being careful not to graze the man’s porcelain skin with the remnant of the mark on his jaw.

The sound Ulquiorra made in his throat showed that he approved of the action while he slid his hands under Grimmjow’s jacket and ran it along the man’s broad shoulders. Getting the signal, Grimmjow rolled his shoulders back and let gravity do the rest of the work.

The taste of Ulquiorra’s warm skin on his lips was heavenly. Grimmjow could feel his own desire growing rapidly and he didn’t know how long he would be able to hold out until it finally broke out like water in an overflowed dam. He briefly wondered if Ulquiorra felt even remotely the same.

It didn’t take them too many steps to finally reach to Ulquiorra’s bed. Grimmjow gently pushed Ulquiorra back into the bed before he lowered himself down after the man.

He placed himself strategically between Ulquiorra’s legs and used his kisses to push Ulquiorra further into the bed. After he had Ulquiorra where he wanted him, Grimmjow took his time to make a trail of kisses down to Ulquiorra’s stomach while removing the black sash and later the knots that were holding Ulquiorra’s hakama together with his keen fingers. Once the hakama was all untied, he had to take a few extra seconds to remove the white rokushaku fundoshi that was the last thing which stood between him and the flesh he wanted access. Traditional Japanese garments were sure very troublesome when it came to removing.

Ulquiorra’s eyes widened in surprise when he felt Grimmjow kissed along the length of his manhood before he suddenly took it in his mouth. They certainly didn’t do something like that the last time. It felt strange, yet gratifying.

He held loosely on to Grimmjow’s head while his hips began to move on their own in accordance with the rhythm that Grimmjow created. His instinct told him to move faster and harder in search of more intense feelings; however, Grimmjow’s firm grip on his hips prevented him from moving all too fast and crushing head completely.

Ulquiorra felt a warm, pleasurable feeling built up deep inside of him, and he suspected Grimmjow could tell that as well, since he quickened the pace of his knowing mouth, did some kind of flicking with his tongue and sent Ulquiorra over the edge before he could voice any warning.

Grimmjow’s mouth curved into a satisfied grin after he gulped down the last drop of Ulquiorra’s seed. He was far from being done, however, since he wouldn’t be fully sated until he managed to eat Ulquiorra up completely and properly.

Ulquiorra’s emerald eyes were still darkened with desire when Grimmjow crawled up his body to reclaim his lips with a hot, urgent kiss. Seeing how Grimmjow was still half dressed, Ulquiorra moved his finger to the hem of Grimmjow’s hakama and started to undo the sash and all knots that tied the garment to Grimmjow’s waist one by one, and he had to be surprised to learn that Grimmjow was going commando.

Seeing that look in Ulquiorra’s eyes, Grimmjow smirked and explained, “I like to have some freedom.”

“Obviously,” Ulquiorra stated before he traced his nimble fingers along the length of Grimmjow’s proud member, earning himself a soft moan from his partner. “Shall I do the same to you?”

The offer was tempting, and he would have heartily accepted it if there hadn’t been something else in his mind.

“Maybe some other time,” Grimmjow replied huskily as he kissed Ulquiorra’s lips again to keep the man in that position. “Now I don’t suppose you have anything we can use as lube, do you?”

Although he asked, Grimmjow didn’t really wait for an answer from Ulquiorra, and simply went on to make a trail down Ulquiorra’s torso, using his lips, tongue and teeth in alternations.

Ulquiorra gasped softly as Grimmjow’s licked along the rim of his Hollow hole. Even though he had just climaxed, the touch had built up yet another wave of desire.

“There should be a bottle of lotion in the nightstand drawer,” Ulquiorra replied hazily. “Why?”

Grimmjow didn’t reply but Ulquiorra had a feeling that he was about to find out anyway, since Grimmjow quickly moved to open the drawer and searched for the wanted item. Finding what he was looking for, Grimmjow returned to his previous task and continued his trail of kisses. Spreading Ulquiorra’s leg slightly wider, Grimmjow planted a couple of kisses on the inside of Ulquiorra’s tights then flicked a lid of the lotion bottle open.

Ulquiorra arched his back slightly when he felt Grimmjow’s hand sliding past his leg into the split between his buttocks and stopped just right when he reached to a certain opening.

“Can I touch you here?”

Ulquiorra blinked for a couple times and had an urge to ask Grimmjow what he intended to do, but he decided to trust the man and gave him a nod. After all, he had been feeling good so far, and Grimmjow had been rather gentle with his lovemaking despite how he always appeared to be a violent individual.

The response brought a satisfied grin to Grimmjow’s face, as the man poured a handful of lotion into his own palm.

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow with half-lidded eyes. He could recognize lust that was burning behind those cyan eyes, and he began to wonder what would be Grimmjow’s next move. He wasn’t kept in curiosity for too long as he soon felt Grimmjow’s slick fingers moving around his opening as if trying to acquaint themselves with it, before he slowly pressed one down there.

“Relax,” Grimmjow whispered into his ear. “Tell me if it hurts.”

After that, Grimmjow nibbled gently on his earlobe, distracting him from the sense of intrusion that was occurring at his lower body. Ulquiorra lifted his head up to kiss the crook of Grimmjow’s neck in response, then sucked it lightly, making a fade mark on the area.

Feeling encouraged from Ulquiorra’s action, Grimmjow quickened the pace of his fingers, and then earned himself a sharp gasp from Ulquiorra when his finger brushed past a certain spot. Wanting to know if he remembered the spot right, Grimmjow repeated his action and received yet another sweet sound from his partner.

Since he was already at the limit, that sound was more than enough to slip the last brink of control out of Grimmjow’s system. The Sexta Espada quickly removed his fingers and replaced them with his throbbing member.

Ulquiorra took a sharp breath as his body was suddenly filled with something much larger than earlier. The feeling was stranger than anything he had ever experienced. He didn’t have much time to adjust, however, since Grimmjow began to thrust into him.

It hurt slightly at first, but the pain soon merged with the intense pleasure and caused his mind to go numb. Wanting to feel a little more of that strange ecstasy, Ulquiorra experimentally rolled his hips. It appeared he had done something right, since Grimmjow let out a low purr before he rocked himself harder against Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra bucked his hips to meet with Grimmjow thrust to thrust, feeling that he was close to yet another climax, and judging from the way Grimmjow quickened his own paced, he believed the man was quite close to it as well.

Reaching his hand down between them, Grimmjow rubbed hard against Ulquiorra’s proud flesh, sending the man over the edge. Then he dove hard into the man’s body, following him to the seventh heaven before he collapsed on top of the man.

* * *

Grimmjow lay in the bed and stared blankly at the white ceiling as he was coming down from cloud nine. It took him another moment until he propped himself up slightly, careful not to move his right arm as he didn’t want to disturb Ulquiorra who was using it as a pillow. He had a strange urge to cuddle the man, but it seemed they were in a little awkward position as there was a chance that he would crash into the thick helmet that was Ulquiorra’s Hollow mask; therefore, he opted against it and turned his attention around the room instead.

While it was the first time he had ever been invited inside that room, he couldn’t say he was surprised by the way it looked as it wasn’t much different from how he had imagined it. Ulquiorra’s room remained mostly in undecorated. The room was fully painted white, just like all others room had been when Aizen first built it. The pieces of furniture in the room – a wardrobe, a study table, a chair, a lamp shade, a pair of curtains, the double bed they were in and the nightstand – were the ones that came with the room from the start, and they were all in white. In fact, all colors that he could see in the room were from covers of the books Ulquiorra kept on his study table, and even those were also in dull shades.

“You do realize that Aizen allowed us to redecorate our own quarters and even gave some budget for it, right?” Grimmjow said, knowing that Ulquiorra was still awake.

“Everything in this room serves its purpose, so there is no point for redecoration,” Ulquiorra remarked. “Besides, it is not as if I have ever invited anyone into my room.”

Although he had already expected that sort of reply from Ulquiorra, Grimmjow still couldn’t help feeling very privileged and at the same time wondering how Ulquiorra viewed him and his previous love life, since the Cuarta Espada never expressed any direct opinion about that matter.

“Well, that’s true, I guess.” Grimmjow commented. “But anyway, instead of commenting on your room, I should ask you if you’re alright, you know, down here—” As he said ‘down here’, the Sexta Espada reached his left hand down and patted softly on his lover’s hip. “—cause if you’re not, I can always kiss it and make it feel better.”

“I’m fine,” Ulquiorra replied, catching Grimmjow’s wrist and guiding it to his waist to prevent it from roaming down any further down. “Though I must say I doubt a kiss could make it feel better if I were not.”

“You really do know how to ruin the mood, don’t you?” Grimmjow rolled his eyes, but despite what he said, he still encircled his arm around Ulquiorra’s waist and slowly traced the line of Ulquiorra’s ripped abs with his finger.

“Someone has to,” Ulquiorra replied, doing his best not to turn his head since he didn’t want to cause a fatal accident. “Or I have a feeling that you might transform into a rabbit someday.”

Grimmjow laughed. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not, but in any case, my sex drive isn’t that high.”

“So you just like cuddling, then?”

The Sexta Espada tilted his head slightly as he tried to recall the last time he had the urge to cuddle someone after sex, but he shrugged as he couldn’t think of even one time. It could be due to the fact that all he had ever had were casual flings.

“Hm? Maybe. I dunno. What does it say in your cat handbook whatever that’s called?”

“ _A Kitten’s Feeling_  by Komamura Sajin, and it said that it depended on a cat’s personality and the environment it was raised,” Ulquiorra stated before he furrowed his brows. “Though I must say it is strange that you should mention that. After all, you always denied the fact that you are a cat.”

“I still don’t accept it. I just realize it’s pointless to argue with you on that matter,” the Sexta Espada noted. “Anyway, what about you? Do you like cuddling?”

Hearing the question, Ulquiorra glanced down to Grimmjow’s arm holding his body. He didn’t make it a habit to touch anyone or let anyone touch him unless it was truly necessary, but strangely enough, he didn’t really mind Grimmjow snuggling up to him.

“It is fine, I suppose,” the Cuarta Espada replied noncommittally.

Grimmjow grinned lopsidedly as he commented in a smug tone, “Maybe you start to love me a little.”

“I wouldn’t know about that,” Ulquiorra replied in all honesty. “All I can say is that I have changed quite a lot since we became friends.”

“If you put it that way, then I’ve changed, too,” Grimmjow commented, looking up to the wall. “I can’t tell if it’s for the better or for the worse, though.”

Ulquiorra decided to shift his position so he lay on his stomach instead so that he would be able to turn his head and look at Grimmjow’s face without accidentally poking the man with his horn. After he had done so, he propped up on both of his elbows and adjusted the angle of his head so he could see Grimmjow’s face.

“This is quite awkward, isn’t it?” the Sexta Espada commented as he moved his hand to touch the little horn on Ulquiorra’s helmet. “What kind of bat has a horn anyway? Or is this supposed to be your bat ear? But I’m pretty sure you do have earlobes.”

To make sure, Grimmjow poked his face closer to Ulquiorra’s while running both of his hands on the side of Ulquiorra’s head through the man thick hair in order to locate the earlobes in question. Meanwhile, Ulquiorra could only blink at how fast Grimmjow could change the subject.

“I think you can say it’s a horn when I’m in this form,” Ulquiorra replied. “Though, in my final release form, I do have bat ears.”

Grimmjow tilted his head and stared at Ulquiorra’s face as he tried to recall what Ulquiorra looked like in his Resurrección, but he couldn’t really remember much except that Ulquiorra had a pair of black wings and that his half helmet grew into a full one, though in a different shape. After all, Ulquiorra didn’t make it a habit to draw our Murciélago, much less release it.

“Sorry, Ulquiorra, but I don’t really remember what you look like in your Resurrección,” Grimmjow confessed. “I mean, I think I only saw it once when Aizen asked you to demonstrate your power for the first time.”

“You do realize that I’m forbidden from releasing my zanpakutō inside of Las Noches, don’t you?”

Grimmjow nodded.

“Of course, and that kinda makes me glad that I’m just the Sexta, coz I don’t get that stupid restriction,” said the blue-haired Espada. “I mean, it’s pretty inconvenient, isn’t it? Especially if you feel like training coz you can’t use the gym.”

“I can simply ask Aizen-sama for permission to go out of Las Noches to train,” Ulquiorra pointed out.

“Yeah, right, I forgot you’re his favorite,” Grimmjow huffed as he let go off Ulquiorra’s face and just flopped back into bed.

Ulquiorra tilted his head so he could get a better look at Grimmjow once the man changed his position.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

“I’m not. I’m just a little irritated,” Grimmjow denied, looking away. “That’s a bit different.”

Ulquiorra shook his head before he rolled back to his right side and closed his eyes.

“I don’t know what you should feel irritated for,” the Cuarta Espada commented. “But speaking of training, would you like to train together with me sometime? I mean, the enemies are approaching us, so it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.”

The word training put a certain spark to Grimmjow’s blue eyes, and the man suddenly propped himself up once again and leaned over Ulquiorra’s head to look at the man like an excited child.

“When you said training, did you mean in full Resurrección?”

“No,” Ulquiorra replied. “I do have my restriction. Besides, if we really go all out against one another, I’m afraid things may escalate out of control.”

Grimmjow smiled sheepishly. Although he was a little disappointed, he had to agree with Ulquiorra. After all, he knew once he engaged in his battle mode, he wouldn’t back down until he defeated his opponent, and judging from Ulquiorra’s character, the man wouldn’t easily back down either.

“I guess I’ll have to agree with that one,” said Grimmjow. “It’s not like I can hold back when I fight someone.”

Ulquiorra tilted his head slightly to meet Grimmjow’s eyes.

“I didn’t say that because I was afraid that you would injure me, Grimmjow,” the Cuarta Espada noted, leaving the rest of the sentence, which was ‘it was the other way around’, unsaid since he didn’t want Grimmjow to be under an impression that he looked down on him.

“Yeah, you just thought I’d destroy a part of Las Noches and make Aizen angry, I know,” Grimmjow replied in a joking manner. “Anyway, yes, I’d like to train with you, so come get me whenever you feel like. I’m mostly free anyway, since Aizen ordered everyone to stay put.”

“Then perhaps we can do that tomorrow,” Ulquiorra said thoughtfully.

“Sure. Tomorrow’s great. I can’t wait for that.”

“Then why don’t you just sleep? It’ll be morning when you wake up,” Ulquiorra suggested, closing his eyes. “I’ll do the same as well.”

Grimmjow blinked twice. He couldn’t quite tell whether Ulquiorra meant to kick him out or to invite him to stay over since it could be translated in either way.

“Hey, does this mean you want to kick me out?”

“You can stay if you want. I don’t really mind. Actually, it would save me the trouble of fetching you in the morning.”

Grimmjow chuckled. “You seriously aren’t romantic, Ulquiorra.”

“What do you expect to hear from me then?”

Grimmjow sighed. What did he expect to hear from Ulquiorra, exactly? He didn’t really know. He just had some kind of hope, even though he should have known better than to expect anything. After all, the man had made it clear from the start that he was in it for the sake of experimentation, but he got a little too carried away by how sweet Ulquiorra had been to him during the heat of sex.

“Never mind that. I was just being stupid,” he said as he nuzzled behind Ulquiorra again. “Good night, Ulquiorra.”

Ulquiorra didn’t respond to the sentence and simply allowed Grimmjow to cuddle him tight. Judging from the man’s breathing pattern, Grimmjow took it that Ulquiorra soon drifted into a deep sleep.

Although he knew that there was still a long way for them to go in their relationship and that there might not be enough time since the war could wage at any given moment, Grimmjow decided not to think too much about it. After all, he couldn’t tell what was going to happen in the future, so the best he could do was to revel the moment he had the person he wanted right in his arm. Everything else could wait for later.

* * *

“The enemies have already defeated the Sand Guardian, Aizen-sama.”

Tōsen announced right after he entered Aizen’s private quarters.

Aizen turned and left the balcony where he stood and looked out into Hueco Mundo night sky. He couldn’t honestly say that he was surprised to hear that the Shinigami had defeated the Sand Guardian, as he would have been disappointed if it was the other way around.

“Is that so? They would reach here in three days, then,” Aizen calculated.

The blind Shinigami shook his head.

“I’m afraid it would take them little longer than that, since they have fallen into the forest of Menos after they defeated the guardian,” Tōsen stated. “That forest is filled with Menos class Hollow, and not to mention, no different from a labyrinth. It would still be hard even for them to break out of it and find their way here.”

Aizen couldn’t help smiling at the thought of his enemies getting lost underneath the desert. He could imagine the Shinigami fighting among themselves and causing their journey to take longer than necessary.

“It would be rather boring to wait for them any longer,” the brown-haired lord commented. “However, since you have witnessed their fight, what is your opinion about Kurosaki Ichigo’s improvement?”

Tōsen had a troubled expression on his face as he replied, “It appeared that the Shinigami and his friends have deliberately tried to prevent him from engaging in any battle with anyone so far. It is almost as if they view him as their trump card and do not want him to fight until it becomes necessary. As for the Substitute Shinigami himself, he isn’t continuously oozing out his spiritual power as he normally would.”

Aizen’s brown eyes shone with interest once he heard Tōsen’s comment.

“Perhaps he has been training hard in those months we took our eyes off him that he manages to gain a better control over his reiatsu,” noted the Las Noches ruler. “How interesting! I was quite disappointed with him before, since he didn’t seem to be able to do anything without his bankai lately, but now it seems he may have improved somewhat. However, if what you said is true and his comrades are keeping him from fighting, then he probably won’t get to do anything in the forest either.”

Tōsen could only wonder why Aizen was so obsessed with the Substitute Shinigami’s improvement, but he didn’t voice his question since he didn’t deem it necessary.

“In any case, Kaname,” Aizen continued, “please make sure to get everything ready. We will march to Karakura Town the day Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions reach inside the wall of Las Noches.”

Knowing that Aizen had implied that he left, Tōsen bowed at his boss.

“Yes, Aizen-sama. Have a good night.”

With that, the former captain of the Gotei 13’s Ninth Division turned around and left without so much as expressing a greeting to a sly silver-haired Shinigami who had come to stand by the threshold at some point while he was talking to Aizen.

Aizen, on the other hand, quirked an eyebrow as his favorite subordinate.

“Is it me or you really are getting worse at stalking, Gin.”

Taking Aizen’s words as a permission, Gin walked leisurely in.

“I don’t do stalking, Aizen-taichō,” the silver-haired Shinigami stated. “When I mark anything as my prey, I’ll follow it openly, let it know of my presence to keep it in constant worries if and when I will finally strike it down.”

A cold smile appeared on Aizen’s lips.

“I guess I can’t argue with that.”

“Anyway, taichō, about Kurosaki Ichigo, are we really going to march out and just trap him here with his friends once he arrives? I thought you would stay around to see how much he has improved.”

“That boy’s power,” Aizen observed, “always evolves whenever he faces the verge of death. Surely it would be interesting to see how well he could hold himself against Grimmjow or Ulquiorra.”

“Why them?” Gin asked, truly curious.

“Why, you ask. It’s simply because they are the two Espadas who have any reason to fight that kid at all,” Aizen explained. “Grimmjow is holding some kind of grudge with him. Whereas Ulquiorra kidnapped his friend and is assigned to guard her at all costs.”

Aizen explained as he moved toward a table at the corner where a tea set was placed. He then pulled out a chair and sat down before he poured himself a hot cup of tea.

“However,” Aizen continued, “as interesting as the battle might be, whether I would stay and watch it or not still depends on what time of the day Kurosaki Ichigo is going to turn up here.”

Ichimaru tilted his head.

“What does time have to do with anything?”

“It has to do with everything, Gin,” Aizen replied coolly, lifting the teacup up with his lean fingers. “Because if he arrives at night or early in the morning, I can afford to hang around and watch his battle for a while. However, if he arrives any later than noon, I would rather just march to the real world and face the rest of the Shinigami. After all, I don’t really need to sit and watch his match to tell if he has progressed. I mean, if he hasn’t, he would simply be killed, but if he has, he would certainly defeat our Espadas and find his way back to Karakura to help the Shinigami.”

Gin scratched the back of his neck.

“I get the last part, but I still don’t see why the time matters, unless, of course, you are superstitious and need to move our troop at some specific time.”

Once again, Aizen put on his smooth expression.

“It has nothing to do with superstition, Gin,” he remarked. “I simply want to conquer Soul Society before the time for my afternoon tea. That’s all.”

With that said, Aizen sipped his tea as if to emphasize his point, making Gin wondered if the man was always that twisted or simply overly obsessed with the beverage.


	16. Chapter 16

Grimmjow was a bit surprised when he heard an alarm going off while he was walking in one random hallway. He never knew that there were alarms installed in any part of Las Noches, but then again he wasn’t observant to begin with, so there was a chance that he might have overlooked them. Nevertheless, he could tell its meaning without having to guess. It meant that the invaders had already made their way into the Arrancar’s stronghold.

A sadistic grin appeared on his face at the thought. They broke in just at the right moment. He was just getting bored of waiting.

As he had already marked his prey since a long time ago, Grimmjow didn’t waste any second to search for said prey’s spiritual presence. Once he pinpointed the location of his target, Grimmjow hastily made his way through the mazes that were Las Noches corridors to make sure that no one would get to Kurosaki Ichigo before he could.

He was halfway to where he located the Substitute Shinigami when he suddenly heard a loud explosion coming from the direction he was heading to. He quickened his speed to see what was going on only to stop when something fell on his head.

Grimmjow looked up. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw a huge hole in the bright artificial sky. Before he could begin to wonder what had caused such a hole, the answer came to him in forms of two spiritual pressures. One belonged to his target, Kurosaki Ichigo, and another belonged to the Cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer.

“How the hell could Ulquiorra get here so fast?”

From the intensity of the reiatsu he felt, Grimmjow could tell those two had already engaged in a battle, though it was hard to tell who was getting the upper hand. Since he knew there was no use in staying there and hazarding a guess, the Sexta Espada made his way up to the hole in the fake sky.

Grimmjow didn’t quite make it to the top of Las Noches’ dome when another explosion went off. The wave of the explosion pushed Grimmjow a few feet back down, followed by countless debris.

One of the reiatsu was lifted, and Grimmjow felt as though his heart stopped when he realized that the pressure that faded away was not the enemy’s but Ulquiorra’s. He still didn’t know what was going on, but that was definitely not a good sign. He quickly broke the momentum and rushed back up once again.

Once he reached above the roof, he saw a lone figure of Kurosaki Ichigo in his bankai form. The Substitute Shinigami was removing the Hollow mask from his face with his left hand while in his right hand held a black sword that was soaked with thick crimson liquid.

Grimmjow widened his eyes and looked around frantically. When he spotted a white figure lying in the pool of blood on another end of the roof, Grimmjow couldn’t remember how to breathe. He didn’t know how he brought himself to where Ulquiorra was, but somehow he was there, holding Ulquiorra’s severely injured body against his chest.

“Oi! Ulquiorra! Regenerate yourself, dammit!” he yelled. Ulquiorra didn’t answer him, so Grimmjow shook the man’s body. “Hey, answer me! This ain’t funny!”

Grimmjow felt his eyes burning as he madly shook Ulquiorra’s body. He felt as though his heart had been ripped apart and then chopped off into pieces. Deep down he knew he wouldn’t be able to wake his lover up from that sleep no matter how hard he shook him, but he still refused to accept it as the truth.

He kept on with the shaking, not noticing how Ulquiorra’s body gradually became lighter and lighter. And afterward, Grimmjow’s anguished yowl could have been heard throughout the whole Hueco Mundo when Ulquiorra’s lifeless body dissolved into dusk and disappeared with the desert wind.

* * *

“Ulquiorra!”

Grimmjow screamed at the top of his voice. He suddenly opened his eyes to be greeted with a black ceiling. Quickly he turned to his right, hoping to see Ulquiorra there, but all he saw was a white mattress. Although everything told him what he saw earlier was just a nightmare, Grimmjow still quickly rolled himself out of bed, darted to a white door that led to a shower room then forcefully opened it.

He wouldn’t hesitate to march around and search for Ulquiorra in his current a buck naked state if he hadn’t heard the sound of water running and spotted Ulquiorra’s lean figure standing in a shower stall, letting the shower run down his head while he absently lathered his body. He sighed in relief. Grimmjow knew he should just leave the man to the privacy of taking a shower, but the nightmare was still so vivid in his mind that he decided that he would just join the man in that small booth.

Ulquiorra dropped the soap bar as he was suddenly brought out of his reverie by a tight embrace. He furrowed his brows slightly when he felt Grimmjow pressing his head into the crook of his neck.

“What’s with you, Grimmjow?” Ulquiorra asked as he tried to remove Grimmjow’s arms from around his body so he could continue with his shower. “I’m trying to take a shower here.”

“Let me hold you like this for a while,” Grimmjow mumbled to Ulquiorra’s shoulder, holding the shorter man even tighter.

Ulquiorra sighed. For a moment, he thought Grimmjow might be there to try to coax him for another round of sex, since the man had proved to be quite insatiable at times. However, he sensed something different in Grimmjow’s touch, and not to mention the fact that Grimmjow simply held him still without making any other moves, so Ulquiorra could only decide that it was not the case.

The Cuarta Espada let the water run until he was sure that all the soap was rinsed from his body before he reached out and turned the shower off.

“What’s wrong?” he inquired.

Grimmjow took a deep breath.

“I had a nightmare, and you weren’t in bed when I woke up,” he replied in a serious manner, and when he felt Ulquiorra’s body moving slightly, he quickly added, “Don’t even laugh.”

“It is not in my character to laugh to begin with,” the stoic Espada pointed. “In any case, can you either let go of me or grab me a towel?”

Since he was given options, Grimmjow opted to keep one arm around Ulquiorra and used another one to grab a power blue towel from a rail. However, instead of handing it to his lover as he was asked, Grimmjow wordlessly used the towel to dry Ulquiorra from his head down.

Ulquiorra used the chance that Grimmjow loosened the embrace to turn around to see the man’s face, and he could tell that the man was greatly troubled by something.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ulquiorra asked as he gazed into Grimmjow’s blue eyes while he reached up and tried to wipe away the small drops of water that sprayed to Grimmjow’s unruly hair.

Grimmjow shook his head and wrapped the towel around Ulquiorra’s waist before he held the man again. No matter how much the nightmare had shaken him, there was still no way that he could tell Ulquiorra that he dreamed Ulquiorra was defeated by some trash and just disappeared into the sand.

“As I said earlier, let me hold you for a while.”

Since he was not an expert when it came to lighten up people’s mood, Ulquiorra simply allowed Grimmjow to hold him and gently ran his hand along Grimmjow’s slightly wet hair.

“You ain’t gonna say I’m being stupid? Getting all worked up over a nightmare,” Grimmjow wondered, as he closed his eyes and rested his head on Ulquiorra’s shoulder. Though he still couldn’t quite erase the horror he had felt from the dream, he somehow began to feel more at ease.

“I understand how nightmares can be quite upsetting sometimes.”

“So you’ve had nightmares, too?” Grimmjow wondered.

“I have this recurring dream about how I started out as a Hollow,” Ulquiorra remarked softly. “To tell you the truth, it isn’t the most pleasant thing to dream about. In fact, whenever I had that dream, I would stay awake for the whole night afterward.”

Grimmjow was somewhat surprised by that fact. He was under an impression that someone like Ulquiorra wouldn’t understand a concept of nightmare, since even if the man should ever have a bad dream, he probably lacked ability to care.

“Really? I never knew you had trouble sleeping,” Grimmjow commented.

“That’s only because I never had one when you were around.”

The reply was simple, yet it was able to make Grimmjow’s heart jump. He wondered if it would be alright for him to believe that his presence had become special to Ulquiorra in some way.

“I’m glad to hear that from you,” Grimmjow noted. Then with a soft chuckle, he added, “though you probably just meant to say that I’ve exhausted you too much for you to actually have a dream.”

“That may be one of the reasons,” Ulquiorra said noncommittally, “but in any case, you sounded like you’ve already felt better.”

“More or less,” was the Sexta Espada’s vague replied as he took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the soap that still lingered on Ulquiorra freshly washed skin, before he finally released the man from his embrace.

“In any case, Grimmjow, you should take a shower since you already got wet,” Ulquiorra suggested.

“And where will you be when I’m doing that?”

“It’s already morning, so I’ll go back to my room and change into new clothes before I do my daily check on the woman,” the Cuarta Espada replied. “However, if you don’t plan on going back to sleep, I can postpone that visit to later and have a training with you.”

“If you want to get into new clothes, you can borrow mine,” Grimmjow replied swiftly. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll just take a quick shower and then we can train together.”

Ulquiorra eyed Grimmjow again before he commented, “You certainly act strange today.”

“Yeah, right, I do,” the Sexta Espada admitted. “Just humor me, alright?”

Ulquiorra shook his head wearily.

“Even if I wanted to humor you, I still wouldn’t fit into your clothes, so I’m going back to my room to get changed,” the Cuarta Espada insisted with finality, “so take your time in the shower and try to clear your head from whatever your dream was. I’ll be right back.”

Grimmjow seemed to be disappointed to hear that from Ulquiorra, but he covered it with a shrug.

“Just make sure you’re not getting there half naked, then,” the Sexta Espada commented.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and retorted, “I never thought I would hear this from someone who always exposes his chest in public, but in any case, I still know a concept of decency.”

“What the hell?” Grimmjow exclaimed as he couldn’t think of anything he could say except, “since when have you become so good with making a comeback?”

Ulquiorra simply gave Grimmjow a hint of a smile as a response before he slipped past Grimmjow and headed to the bathroom door.

Grimmjow turned around and followed Ulquiorra with his eyes until the door was closed with a soft click, and it was then that Grimmjow began to feel upset again. Hitting his head softly to the wall of the shower stall, Grimmjow turned the shower on.

What was that feeling? And why could he, who didn’t spare a minute to mourn for the deaths of his own loyal Fraccións, feel that much depressed from just a single nightmare?

* * *

When Ulquiorra returned, Grimmjow was already out of the shower and fully clad in his Arrancar uniform. He was in the middle of applying some gel to his blue hair to give it a spiky, messy style, but Grimmjow still turned over his shoulder to acknowledge Ulquiorra’s presence and commented, “You certainly took long just to go back to your room and change your clothes.”

“Actually I also went and grabbed us some sandwiches from the kitchen,” Ulquiorra countered. “Though I must say you were pretty quick with your shower.”

Grimmjow rolled his eyes up before he shrugged.

“There isn’t really any point in spending a long time in the shower when we’re gonna get all sweaty again after we spar anyway, is it?”

“Yet you spare your time to set your hairstyle.”

“Well, I had to wait for you to come back, so why not?” Grimmjow replied. “Besides it’d be ridiculous for me to go out, looking like some wet kitten.”

Ulquiorra took a moment to imagine Grimmjow in a wet state before he replied, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. I mean, yes, I’m more used to your messy-spiked hair, but you don’t look too bad when you’re wet either.”

Since he didn’t expect any kind of comeback from Ulquiorra, the comment almost made Grimmjow drop the jar of hair gel in his hand.

“What are you saying, Ulquiorra? Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“You can take it whichever way you like. I was just giving you my opinion.”

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and replied in a sarcastic tone, “Gee, thanks.”

Knowing from experience that it would take a little while longer for Grimmjow to finish styling his hair, Ulquiorra walked up to sit on the edge of Grimmjow’s unmade bed.

“In any case, I met Tōsen-sama at the kitchen,” Ulquiorra stated. “He said the enemies had already escaped from the Forest of Menos since last night.”

The mention of the invaders froze the Sexta Espada in place for a second before he closed his eyes for a short moment then continued dressing his hair.

“That guy sure never acts like he’s blind, does he?” Grimmjow commented, shifting the discussion towards their blind General instead of discussing the enemies. “Anyway, I’ve been wondering about this since the last meeting, but how the hell did they manage to get a footage of those invaders to show us? If it was a footage from one of the forts, I’d understand, since Aizen probably had some cameras hidden there, but the pictures were from the desert, and now Tōsen can even tell that they’ve escaped the forest.”

“Regarding Tōsen-sama, I suspect he has other ways to receive information,” the Cuarta Espada noted. “For the matter of the recording from the desert, however, I cannot think of any proper explanation.”

Grimmjow suddenly looked mortified.

“Crap! Now that I think about it, do you think Aizen saw what we were doing while we were on the mission?”

Ulquiorra closed his eyes as he thought about the answer.

“I have no idea,” he said, “but if he could, it would explain why you felt like you were constantly being watched even though we were that far away from Las Noches.”

“Oh, fuck!”

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow through the mirror and thought that the way Grimmjow’s face changed color from red to white was quite interesting, though he couldn’t quite understand why the Sexta Espada should worry about that now.

“There is no need for you to worry, Grimmjow,” said the dark-haired Espada. “I’m sure if Aizen-sama had seen anything that displeased him, he would have already brought the issue up since we returned here instead of keeping it until now.”

Grimmjow still didn’t look any relieved. In fact, he looked even more mortified when he mumbled, “Now I get why Ichimaru came to greet us at the gate with that gift back then. He wasn’t just letting his perverted imagination run wild. He actually saw it. Shit!”

With that, Grimmjow banged his head against the dresser top.

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows before he rose to his feet and approached to Grimmjow and placed a hand on the man’s back.

“Are you alright, Grimmjow?”

Lifting his head slightly, Grimmjow replied, “Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to figure out the quickest way to kill Ichimaru Gin.”

Ulquiorra shook his head.

“I don’t understand why you hate him so much,” the stoic Espada commented, “but it’d be best if you’d just ignore him.”

Grimmjow sighed. “No, it’d be best if I could just stay ignorant most of the time just like you.”

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows once again.

“I have no idea what you’re on about, Grimmjow, but back to the subject of the enemies,” the Cuarta Espada said, bringing the conversation back to the topic of the invaders. “Tosen-sama reckoned that they would arrive here by noon at the latest, so perhaps I should ask if you still want to have that sparring or you would rather save your strength to battle the enemies.”

“Let’s spar,” Grimmjow decided and sat back up straight. “It’d be boring just to sit and wait anyway.”

* * *

In the meantime, in the endless white desert, the group of invaders was making its way closer towards the white wall of Las Noches. Although they were supposed to be allies, they still couldn’t stop themselves from bickering at one another from time to time, with an exception of one Sado Yasutora, who remained quiet on most of the journey.

“Man, this is a troublesome place,” Zaraki complained. “If I’d known that I would spend most of the time trying to get to that fucking palace, I wouldn’t have raised my hand when the old man Yama asked for a volunteer. I don’t even want to think about how boring it would be when we have to get back to that Garganta after we’re done.”

“Stop whining and keep moving, Zaraki,” said the other captain in the scene, Kuchiki Byakuya. “If it would make you feel any better, Kurotsuchi Mayuri said he would join us soon after he and Urahara Kisuke finished their preparation in the living world.”

Kenpachi rolled his eyes and snorted.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me, Kuchiki. Since when can we actually trust that freak?”

The orange-haired Substitute Shinigami sighed as he thought to himself “not again”.

“Anyway, Kenpachi, Byakuya, we’re really close to their wall right now, so what is the plan once we get in there? Are we gonna stick together and start our search or are we going to spread out to different directions?” Ichigo asked while prayed that the answer would be the latter since he didn’t think he could handle more of those pointless bickers.

“I don’t think I should waste my time answering that question when you don’t intend to comply with what I say anyway.”

“Oi, don’t start with me, Byakuya! What the hell is with that attitude, anyway?” Ichigo grunted.

“He hates your guts, Ichigo. Deal with it,” Kenpachi pointed. “Anyway, you can go and rescue that friend of yours or hunt down some Arrancars, or do whatever the hell you want. Just make sure you don’t get your ass kick, coz I don’t want to waste my time to rescue your sorry ass.”

“Hey, don’t look down on me, Kenpachi. I’ve been training myself for this war.”

“So? Everyone’s been training too. And let’s face it, Ichigo, lately you’ve got beaten up so many times it’s pathetic. I don’t know how you managed to defeat me that one time.”

“What the hell?”

Rukia sighed and face-palmed. To be completely honest, all of the Shinigami could be completely childish and it was difficult to do something about it when the Shinigami in question were usually ones with authorities.

“In any case, Ichigo, Ishida, Chad, we will leave rescuing Inoue to you,” Rukia cut in wearily. “Leave the Arrancars and Aizen to us Shinigami.”

“Yeah, and once you get her, just get the hell back to Karakura Town where you belong,” Renji added. “How you’re gonna do that, though, is entirely up to you.”

“So even Soul Society doesn’t have any plan, huh?” Ishida asked before he pushed his glasses in place with his middle finger. “How typical!”

Renji rolled his eyes. “If you hate Shinigami so much, Ishida, why do you bother to join our side in this war anyway?”

“I’m not siding with you Shinigami. I’m just here to rescue Inoue-san. Besides, my pride as a Quincy wouldn’t let me sit and do nothing when my hometown could be destroyed by some rogue Shinigami and Hollows.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all get that already.”

The group kept on nagging at each other until they finally stood before a huge wall that stood between them and Aizen’s stronghold.

“So... are we even gonna bother with finding the front door?” Ichigo wondered as he looked to the direction of the wall that seemed to be going on forever.

“Screw the front door! I’m not wasting any more time searching,” Kenpachi remarked. “It’s not like we’re invited here anyway.”

Without further ado, Kenpachi unsheathed his zanpakutō and struck it down on the wall at full force without bothering to investigate what kind of material that was used to construct that wall.

* * *

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were in a desert area in the middle of Las Noches, training. Both Espadas had already unsheathed their zanpakutō, though neither released it, while they were charging at each other in mid air.

Their swords crossed, and the Sexta Espada took one jump before he lunged towards Ulquiorra again with his full speed, but the Cuarta Espada parried the attack with his own blade. However, before either of them could break away and launch another attack, the two Espadas froze in place, as they sensed a wave of explosion that was soon followed by a huge amount of spiritual pressure.

Although there wasn’t any alarm going off to warn them, it was still easy for them to tell that their enemies had already breached inside the wall.

Both Espadas looked at one another in the eyes before they wordlessly lowered their swords at the same time. After that, they descended to the sand below them.

“So they have finally arrived,” Ulquiorra remarked as he sheathed his zanpakutō and turned towards the direction of where the reiatsu was coming from. “This is much sooner than Tōsen-sama calculated.”

A look in Grimmjow’s blue eyes changed slightly when he looked at the same direction as Ulquiorra did. He followed Ulquiorra’s example and sheathed his sword before he turned to his lover and gazed at the man for a long moment. He would have asked the man to stay away from any battles had he not already realized that his request would be immediately shot down.

“Hey, Ulquiorra...” Grimmjow began. The nightmare was still fresh in his memory, and he knew he needed to do something even though he still had no idea what that something was.

Ulquiorra turned to Grimmjow and raised an eyebrow as if to encourage Grimmjow to continue.

Grimmjow opened his mouth, but he didn’t have a chance to say anything when Aizen’s voice suddenly came out into the desert and interrupted him. Although he didn’t know exactly how the technique worked, he still knew that it was some kind of telepathic magic that the Shinigami used when they wanted to relay their messages to specific audiences.

“Greetings, my fearless intruders,” Aizen spoke. “I think we have all been anticipating this day since the moment I had Inoue Orihime abducted. At first, I planned to express my greetings to all of you personally. However, since Soul Society has taken much longer to react to the incident than I expected, I’m afraid that some of my Espadas will have to greet you in my behalf.

“Even so, I feel I should inform you that I have already sealed the path that you all have used to penetrate into Hueco Mundo, so you will all be locked in here while I’m out to destroy Karakura Town and forge the King’s Key. As for Inoue Orihime, she is no longer of any use to me, so you can feel free to rescue her, if you can, that is. In any case, I’ll be going now.

“Starrk, Baraggan, Harribel, gather your Fraccións and come with me to the living world. As for the rest of the Espadas, I will leave the intruders to your care, and as soon as you are done with them, follow me to the world of the living.”

With that, Aizen’s broadcast was cut off, as it seemed the Shinigami had left Las Noches with his small troop.

Ulquiorra looked up into the sky and sighed softly.

“I suppose a bloodbath is inevitable at this point,” the Cuarta Espada commented, knowing that without Aizen around, at least one or two of the Espadas would be running around in frenzy, trying to kill as many enemies as possible.

“No shit,” Grimmjow agreed.

“In any case, I will return to my post at the woman’s captive cell,” Ulquiorra declared. “Aizen-sama may no longer have any use for her, but the intruders will definitely head there and try to rescue that woman, so I can save myself the problem of tracking them down and just wait for them to come to me instead.”

The Sexta Espada felt his heart wrench at Ulquiorra’s words. Although he knew that Ulquiorra could take care of himself, probably much better than he ever could; the nightmare he had earlier that night was still very fresh on his memory. While he didn’t believe there was such a thing like premonitions, he still couldn’t help himself from wanting to prevent that nightmare from being realized.

As fast as his thought, Grimmjow reached out and caught Ulquiorra by an elbow to stopping the man from moving back to his post.

Ulquiorra turned over his shoulder and gave Grimmjow a questioned look. “Yes?”

Although he had already known what the answer would be, Grimmjow still felt the need to ask, “It wouldn’t be possible for me to ask you not to fight Kurosaki Ichigo, would it?”

Ulquiorra felt something in Grimmjow’s voice begging him to say that he wouldn’t enter a battle with said Substitute Shinigami. However, the Cuarta Espada didn’t want to give a promise that he might not be able to keep.

“I understand how you still see him as your prey and want to slay him,” Ulquiorra stated, believing that Grimmjow only spoke that way because the man wanted to make sure no one would steal his prey. “However, if I meet him first, there is no reason for me not to fight him. After all, he is an enemy, and I have made my word that I would kill him with my very own hand should he ever become a threat to Aizen-sama and Las Noches.”

Still holding on to Ulquiorra’s elbow, Grimmjow lowered his head and looked at the sand when he asked softly, “So it’s a matter of who gets to him first then?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Grimmjow closed his eyes and sighed before he let go of Ulquiorra’s elbow. However, instead of simply returning to his post, Ulquiorra turned fully to face Grimmjow and even reached to touch the man’s face with one hand.

“Something is bothering you,” the Cuarta Espada observed.

Grimmjow opened his eyes. Strangely enough, the first thing he saw wasn’t Ulquiorra’s face but rather the base of the man’s neck, and a certain idea suddenly flashed into his mind at the sight. Perhaps, there was still something he could do, even though doing so would certainly enrage Ulquiorra. But at the very least, it would put his mind at ease.

The Sexta Espada placed his hand above Ulquiorra’s and squeezed it before he removed the hand from his face. Then he leaned forward and gave his lover a long, deep kiss.

Although he didn’t quite expect that gesture, Ulquiorra still accepted the kiss and noted how it felt somewhat different from all other times they had kissed.

It was soon afterward that he came to realize why it felt different, as he sensed Grimmjow slipping something into his Hollow hole before the man suddenly jumped backward and said, “I’m sorry, Ulquiorra.”

Instinctively Ulquiorra glanced downward and saw a small black cube entering his Hollow hole. His green eyes were widened in surprise, and he turned his gaze towards Grimmjow. He didn’t need anyone to tell him what the cube was or what it was for, since as an Espada, he knew how a Caja Negación operated, and he knew that it was only a matter of second until he was locked away in another dimension.

Ulquiorra didn’t have enough time to ask Grimmjow why the man used the method on him, since darkness suddenly enveloped him.

Grimmjow looked at the empty space where Ulquiorra stood just a second ago with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry,” the Sexta Espada repeated himself, even though he knew Ulquiorra was already far out of a hearing range, “but you’ll be much safer this way.”


	17. Chapter 17

Shaking his head, Grimmjow threw away the guilt he felt and put his sadistic grin back on. It had already been done, and there was no time for him to regret his action. After all, a Caja Negación only had enough power to hold someone of Ulquiorra’s caliber for a couple of hours, so he needed to settle the matter with Kurosaki Ichigo as soon as possible.

Since he had fought that Substitute Shinigami twice before, he didn’t have any problem tracking down the man’s spiritual presence. Just as Ulquiorra predicted, Kurosaki Ichigo was already halfway to the woman’s cell, though it appeared the Shinigami was intercepted by one of those Privaron Espadas.

Grimmjow sighed and decided to head there to save some time. After all, it wasn’t as though the Privaron Espada would be any match against that Substitute Shinigami.

The Sexta Espada was only halfway to where Kurosaki Ichigo was when a level of spirit energy of Kurosaki Ichigo’s opponent had suddenly dropped and the orange-haired Shinigami seemed to be on his move once again. Therefore, Grimmjow decided to stop in a corner of a dark hallway, waiting for the Shinigami to run his way.

He didn’t have to wait long for the Deathberry to show up. He noticed that there was something different in said Shinigami’s spiritual energy, but he didn’t have time to pay attention to all the little details, so he simply unsheathed his sword and leaped towards the teen.

Though caught by surprised, Ichigo’s instinct was still sharp, which allowed him to draw Zangetsu and block the attack just before it could hit him.

“Yo, Kurosaki Ichigo!” Grimmjow uttered with a sadistic grin after their zanpakutō clashed. “Long time no see.”

Ichigo pushed Grimmjow back with his sword, while he too bounced back, away from the sword range.

“I see you got your left arm back,” Ichigo replied.

“That’s cuz I’ve no time to play around today,” Grimmjow stated, “so let’s pick up where we left off, shall we?”

Not only did Grimmjow suggested so, the Sexta Espada also put his hand above his blade and made a short, quick stroke as he commanded, “Grind, Pantera!”

Grimmjow’s level of spiritual pressure suddenly increased with the release command, crushing a part of the building and blowing off a certain part of the roof he was standing under. Ichigo needed to use his zanpakutō to shield himself from some debris, but even then, the Shinigami remained calm in the most part.

All the dust and debris soon faded to reveal Grimmjow standing in his full Resurrección form. Ichigo noted how Grimmjow’s hair suddenly grew into a long mullet. The remnant of the Espada’s Hollow mask changed its shape and location into something that looked like a headband on his forehead. The man’s ears turned somewhat cat-like. Whereas the man’s hold uniform turned into some sort of body armor. And to make the Espada looked even more feline like, he also grew a tail and had sharp claws on his hands and feet.

Normally Grimmjow would enjoy taunting and trying to bring the best out of his prey, just so he would enjoy killing them more. However, his intention for fighting Ichigo had already shifted and at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to get the boy out of the picture as soon as possible, so Grimmjow decided against playing around. Thus, he leaped towards Ichigo and struck him with his claws, aiming for the man’s throat.

Ichigo managed to block the attack with Zangetsu, so Grimmjow swirled around to kick the Visored in the unguarded back, sending the teen flying through the nearest wall as a result. Then the Sexta Espada used Sonído to fly past Ichigo in order to launch another hit.

Once again, the Shinigami parried the Arrancar’s strike with his sword. He was also able to break the momentum and stopped himself from flying into a nearby tower. Not planning to give his opponent enough time to fight back, Grimmjow delivered a set of high-speed punches, which Ichigo blocked, though with some difficulty.

“What’s with you, Kurosaki Ichigo?” Grimmjow asked as he continued coming at Ichigo with a series of punches. “Aren’t you even gonna pull out that lame bankai of yours and fight back? Don’t tell me you’ve given up already.”

Grimmjow’s word somehow got under Ichigo’s skin, since the boy shouted, “Don’t call my bankai lame when you’re looking like a fucking cat! Getsuga Tenshō!”

Grimmjow deflected the blast with his arm, sending the energy towards one random pillar and blowing a huge hole in it as a result. If he hadn’t already planned to kill Ichigo before, he swore he would do so then.

While he didn’t expect the Shinigami to be amazed or afraid when he saw Grimmjow’s true form, at least Ichigo should show some respect to the power that could easily have them kill. He never could understand why anyone would call him a cat when he was clearly a panther. His Resurrección’s name was clearly Pantera and not Gato. He might have got used to hearing such a comment from Ulquiorra that it had practically become their inside joke, but it didn’t mean that he needed to hear that same kind of comment from an enemy.

Well, of course, Grimmjow had conveniently forgotten that he was the one who showed disrespect to Ichigo first when he called his bankai lame.

“That’s it, Kurosaki Ichigo! You’re so dead!”

With that, Grimmjow darted towards Ichigo once again. He spun mid air to deliver a roundhouse kick to the Shinigami’s face, and then followed the kick through with a whip of his tail when Ichigo managed to dodge the first assault.

The Shinigami found it hard to dodge that round house kick from the panther, especially when Grimmjow also whipped his tail to his position after that kick. Seeing that his enemy was struggling, the Espada didn’t hesitate to use the opportunity to throw in another series of quick punches.

Ichigo managed to block most of those punches with either the back of his forearm or with his zanpakutō before he called out a few more shots of Getsuga Tenshō.

“Give that up already,” Grimmjow said with a scornful laugh. “You know it won’t do me any damage no matter how many times you try.”

Ichigo gritted his teeth and jumped backward to gain some distance from his opponent.

“I guess there’s really no helping it, then,” Ichigo said before he put his hand in front of his face in a gesture that he was about to call out his Hollow mask.

Grimmjow grinned. It was getting a little more interesting, though he had to say it was a little unexpected to see that Ichigo would choose to call for his mask before he would his bankai, since the Shinigami had a bad habit of spamming his bankai whether it was necessary or not, while keeping that Hollow mask as the last resort since he didn’t seem to have a complete control of it yet.

Once the mask formed itself above Ichigo’s face, Grimmjow had to widen his eyes in surprise. That mask was completely different from the way he remembered. Not only did the red markings on it changed their position, the mask itself had grown into a full skull shape, and also had two sharp horns growing out of it. And to add to that effect, the man’s orange hair also grew significantly longer while his reiatsu had become dramatically dark. If the man had a hole in his chest and no longer held a zanpakutō, Grimmjow would believe that was an Arrancar’s Resurrección.

The Sexta Espada’s sadistic grin went wide as he saw that form from the Shinigami. It seemed to him Ichigo had really improved from the last time they fought, which made it much more exciting to beat the Shinigami down.

Grimmjow lunged himself at Ichigo again, only for the Visored to disappear from the spot in a flash and then reappear behind him before he swung that huge blade down towards Grimmjow’s back.

Although his instinct told him to get away, his body didn’t react fast enough, so Ichigo’s blade managed to cut his back and opened a long wound.

Grimmjow hissed. The blood that was gushing out did not pain him as much as the fact that he was the first to have his blood drawn out in a battle. Ignoring the wound, Grimmjow spun around and struck his claw down toward Ichigo who parried it with his zanpakutō. Although Ichigo seemed to have been significantly stronger after he put on that mask, Grimmjow still believed that Ichigo wouldn’t be able to block or dodge every single punch should he deliver them at full speed. Thus, he threw his quickest punches in.

Not only did the human proved him wrong by parring off all the punches, Ichigo also brought the fight to the next level when he suddenly summoned a red Cero between the two long horns, aiming it towards Grimmjow’s head.

Realizing what his enemy was doing, Grimmjow leaped backward and charged up a blue Gran Rey Cero for counter attack although he didn’t have enough time to fully charge it as he needed to fire it out soon after Ichigo shot his weird looking crimson Cero.

The clash of the two Cero set up a huge explosion that sent both parties flying back into different directions.

Grimmjow would have fallen flat on his back on the ground if he hadn’t swerved in the air and landed there on his feet by instinct. Although he suffered from some minor burns from the explosion, the Sexta Espada still jumped back up in the sky to find his enemy.

He didn’t believe that Ichigo would be able to escape from that blast unscathed, but no harm seemed to have been done to the Shinigami except for the fact that there were some tears in the man’s shihakushō.

“So he has instant regeneration?” Grimmjow muttered to himself. “What a pain in the ass!”

Taking the chance Ichigo probably hadn’t spotted him there yet, Grimmjow turned his elbow and shot five green darts out of there. Ichigo quickly tried to reflect them with his sword, only to have them blown up at the point of contact.

Grimmjow chuckled.

“Yeah, eat that, sucker,” said the Sexta Espada. Even with high-speed regeneration, Grimmjow doubted it would be easy to heal from being blown up in the face by his Garra de la Pantera. After all, just one of those darts could easily bring down the whole building, and Ichigo had taken five. “See if you can heal from that.”

However, Grimmjow was in for a big surprise when Ichigo suddenly dashed out of the smoke, completely unscathed, and then came at him with his huge sword.

“What the hell are you?” Grimmjow yelled as he blocked the sword with the back of his forearm. “There’s no way you can heal that fast.”

Instead of giving his opponent any explanation, Ichigo simply suggested, “Let’s stop this now, Grimmjow.”

Although his voice was tweaked and twisted under that gruesome mask, it was still easy to tell that he had regained the cool he had lost when Grimmjow called his bankai lame earlier.

“You’ve already seen that your technique can’t harm me,” he continued, “and I really don’t want to hurt anyone unnecessarily.”

Grimmjow’s anger rose after he heard Ichigo’s comment. It was as if the boy had intended to insult him, saying that there was no way he would win that battle even though the fight hadn’t been taking place for all that long. It was true that Grimmjow had already been severely injured while Ichigo himself remained unharmed, but that didn’t mean that he would lose.

With that thought, Grimmjow kicked Ichigo in the stomach in order to break away. Then he gritted his teeth and snarled, “Don’t fucking look down on me too much, Kurosaki Ichigo. Just because Garra de la Pantera didn’t work on you doesn’t mean that I don’t have other techniques to use.”

With that Grimmjow brought both of his hands together in front of him and formed spirit energy beams out of his sharp fingers.

“But I’ll agree and end this quickly, just coz you’re pissing me off. Now get ready to die by my Desgarrón.”

With that, Grimmjow claws one hand into the air, sending five beams directly towards Ichigo.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of Las Noches, Inoue dragged a chair from her writing table and placed it under the window before she climbed up and tried to look out of the small window, hoping to see what was happening on the outside. Having also received Aizen’s broadcast, she was somewhat relieved to find out that her friends had made it safely to Las Noches. However, she couldn’t help being afraid for their future now that they were in Las Noches and had to face much tougher enemies.

While she should be able to track all of her friends by their spiritual presence, it was almost impossible for her to concentrate her thought with the amount of spiritual pressures that were surging up from different places at the same moment.

Although she had focused her attention to the outside, she still heard a soft crack on the wall right beside her, so she turned to see what had caused such a sound. Inoue squealed and jumped away as a pale hand with black fingernails suddenly reached out from the wall, causing her to fall haplessly from the chair to land on the floor with a nice thud.

“Oww!” Inoue rubbed her behind before she widened her eyes as she remembered what gave her the spook in the first place. Quickly she looked to the direction of that mysterious hand and saw the man who was her warden standing there with a deep frown, looking somewhat disorientated. “Ulquiorra-san?”

Ulquiorra said nothing when he glared at her. Although she had already been used to the Cuarta Espada’s glare, Inoue still cringed and backed away from him since unlike all other time when the man was mostly emotionless, that time there was a full-scale rage behind those emerald eyes.

The woman sighed when Ulquiorra looked away from her and then closed his eyes as if trying to concentrate on something.

“That arrogant fool,” he grumbled before he suddenly flicked his arm into the wall, causing it to collapse within a second. He then turned his eyes to Inoue who was still on the floor, looking at him with a mixture of fear and surprise. “Get to your feet, woman. I need you to come with me.”

The woman didn’t have time to react to the order when Ulquiorra quickly approached to her, grabbed her by the upper arm and then dragged her off with him, using Sonído.

* * *

Ichigo used Zangetsu to block all those beams that were directed towards him. While the techniques didn’t manage to break through Zangetsu’s blade, it was still strong enough to push the Substitute Shinigami backward toward one pillar.

Ichigo gritted his teeth, before he swung his sword, cutting through one of the beams then flash-stepping his way to Grimmjow, whose eyes were widened in disbelief.

“Why can’t you just die?” Grimmjow shouted in anger as he kept shooting more beams at Ichigo.

“Because I have a lot of people I need to protect,” Ichigo shouted back as he broke through all of Grimmjow’s powerful beams with his oversized blade. “So I can’t afford to lose to you. Or to Aizen.”

By the end of his sentence, Ichigo already closed in on Grimmjow and then slash his sword down diagonally across the Espada’s shoulder.

There was not much Grimmjow could do to defend himself from the assault at that point. Desgarrón might have been his killing move, but every killing move had its weakness – and its was that it required a lot of spiritual energy to create the technique, and could only be used for a certain number of times before it would tax him completely. And his limit was already reached.

When Ichigo pulled Zangetsu back out, blood spurted out of the wound along with that blade. Grimmjow’s head spun by the sudden loss of blood while his body returned to its unreleased stage with his zanpakutō broken.

It was due to his sheer stubbornness that Grimmjow had yet to spiral down to the desert below him, and he used his last strength to thrust his broken zanpakutō at Ichigo in retaliation.

Ichigo easily dodged and caught Grimmjow’s blade with his bare hand.

“Why do you keep doing this, Grimmjow?” Ichigo wondered. “This isn’t any different from casting your own life away? Is Aizen’s cause really worth sacrificing your life over?”

Grimmjow chuckled sardonically even though doing so made more blood come out of the wound.

“Who said this has anything to do with Aizen?” Grimmjow replied as he suddenly pulled his sword back out of Ichigo’s clutch. “I just can’t lose this fight, and that’s all there is to it.”

Grimmjow used his last strength to try to strike Ichigo’s once again while Ichigo mostly just dodged them, making Grimmjow even more angry – at himself for not having more strength and at Ichigo for not taking him seriously.

“Seriously, Grimmjow, stop now or I’ll really have to kill you,” Ichigo said as he effortlessly dodged all attacks from the gradually weakening Espada.

“Then fucking do it,” Grimmjow spit. “I don’t want a pity from a fucking enemy. Besides, even if you let me live, Ulquiorra will still kill me when he comes back and sees that I lost.”

Although he didn’t understand what Grimmjow was rambling on about, Ichigo could still tell that Grimmjow wasn’t going to give up until either one of them died. Thus the Substitute Shinigami closed his eyes and sighed. Reminding himself once again what he was doing there and that they were enemies, Ichigo stabbed through Grimmjow’s torso.

Once the blade was pulled off, Grimmjow began to free fell from the sky.

Why couldn’t he beat Kurosaki Ichigo? That boy was merely human who pretended to be a Shinigami who pretended to be a Hollow, so what made him that strong? Was it really as the man claimed, and he kept getting stronger and stronger because he had many people he needed to protect so he couldn’t afford to die? If that was really the case, Grimmjow also had someone he wanted to protect – someone he was willing to fight, kill or die for – then why was he defeated?

Feeling that he would lose conscious in a matter of second, Grimmjow decided that it no longer mattered. He wouldn’t mind hitting the ground and losing his life. After all, it was the nature of a war. It was either kill or be killed. He had one regret, however, and it was the way he parted with Ulquiorra. But there was nothing he could do about that then. He only hoped that the Caja Negación would be able to keep Ulquiorra locked up until everything was over, and that when the man came back, he wouldn’t be too angry or too sad that Grimmjow had died.

Although he had previously made up his mind that it was inevitable to kill Grimmjow, Ichigo still couldn’t bring himself to watch coldly as the Arrancar descended toward the ground. Therefore, he sprinted after Grimmjow in order to catch the Espada before he hit the ground.

Before Ichigo could reach for Grimmjow’s wrist and catch the Espada, the Shinigami’s hand was slapped off by one slender Espada who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and broke Grimmjow’s fall. He had only seen that Espada twice and vaguely recalled that the man’s name was Ulquiorra.

“Don’t touch him,” said Ulquiorra.

Ichigo pulled off his Hollow mask and though he doubted Ulquiorra would attack when he also had to support the unconscious Grimmjow, he still made some distance from the Arrancar and kept his sword drawn just in case.

Ulquiorra glanced at Grimmjow’s unconscious form for a brief moment. Although he was still angry with Grimmjow’s uncalled for actions, his rage had automatically transferred to the Substitute Shinigami when he saw his lover’s condition. Now he had one more reason to kill Kurosaki Ichigo aside from the fact that the orange-haired Visored had become a threat to Las Noches. Even so, he wouldn’t be able to fight in his full ability while trying to protect Grimmjow as well.

Running from an enemy might not be the most honorable option, but it was the only thing he could do at that moment. Therefore, he shot a cero at Ichigo to distract the human before he turned around and dashed off with Grimmjow in his arm, heading towards a certain pillar where he had left Inoue earlier so he could rush to Grimmjow’s rescue.

* * *

Inoue Orihime stood nervously alone, not knowing what to do as she was simply left there on the top of that enormous round red stone pillar by Ulquiorra. She couldn’t fathom why the Cuarta Espada took her out of her cell and then just left her there just to rush somewhere else when it would be much easier if he never brought her out from the start. After all, it wasn’t as if Ulquiorra did so to give her an opportunity to escape because of that was the case, he should have at least left her on the ground where she could find her way out of Las Noches, not on top of some random very high pillar where the only mean to get away was to jump down to her death.

She could tell that a battle was going on in a distance, but it was too far away that all her eyes could see were small figures dashing across the sky and some lights that might have been deflected from their blades. She could, however, sensed a reiatsu that resembled Grimmjow’s, and another strong reiatsu that was similar to Ichigo’s yet with a distinct difference in it.

Suddenly, Grimmjow’s spiritual pressure dropped, and before Inoue could begin to wonder what was going on, Ulquiorra reappeared before her in a flash. Much to her astonishment, Ulquiorra was carrying someone on his shoulder, and a number 6 tattoo on that person’s back identify him as Grimmjow Jaegerjaques.

Inoue didn’t have time to voice any question when Ulquiorra lay the unconscious Sexta Espada down on the floor and ordered, “Make sure he stays alive.”

Noticing how the man’s spiritual energy was dropping rapidly, she didn’t need Ulquiorra to tell her twice and simply chanted, “Sōten Kisshun!”

After two petals flew from her blue flower-shape hair clips to form an energy shield over Grimmjow’s body and began healing the man’s wound, Orihime felt relieved enough to ask, “Who did this?”

Ulquiorra ignored the woman’s question and went back towards the direction of Ichigo, using Sonído.

Should the Substitute Shinigami decide not to track him and Grimmjow down, he would still come to rescue the woman. And should the woman know that it was her friend who inflicted the wounds on Grimmjow; she would, without any doubt, stop the treatment. After all, it wasn’t difficult for Ulquiorra to see that her heart lay with that man, and she would choose him as her first priority – just like Grimmjow was his.

Just as Ulquiorra had expected, Ichigo was on his way to the place where he sensed Inoue’s presence. However, he had to stop moving when his path was blocked by the Cuarta Espada. Ichigo blinked for a couple of times, since he didn’t really think he would see Ulquiorra again soon after the man came to take Grimmjow out of the battlefield. After all, Ulquiorra impressed him as a pacifist type, since in the Arrancar never drew his sword out to fight anyone at all during the two times they met in Karakura Town, and seemed to have acted as a voice of reason for his fellow Arrancars namely Yammy and Grimmjow during those times.

No matter how Ichigo looked at it, there was really no need for Ulquiorra to stand there and face him with his zanpakutō drawn, but then he almost killed one of the man’s comrades. Though, didn’t Grimmjow say that Ulquiorra would kill Grimmjow if he saw that he lost? Or did he ball it up again and match the wrong name to the wrong face? That was highly possible, considering how he still failed to remember half of his classmates’ names.

“You are Ulquiorra, right?” Ichigo asked just to make sure. Once he saw a curt nod from Ulquiorra, he decided to continue, “Can’t we just skip this fight? I mean, we never had any quarrel, and as far as your duty to guard Inoue goes, didn’t Aizen say it himself that he no longer needs her? So why don’t you just let me take her back and we can both be on our ways.”

“Never had any quarrel?” Ulquiorra repeated, raising an eyebrow. “It’s funny you should say that, Kurosaki Ichigo, when that man you just almost killed is my lover. Perhaps, I should get to your woman and kill her to see if you’d still say the same then? After all, she’s no longer of any use to Aizen-sama.”

If Ichigo were to spend a moment to think about it, he would have been able to call his bluff; since Inoue was probably the only chance for Grimmjow to survive, so Ulquiorra wouldn’t simply kill the girl just to get even with Ichigo. However, Ichigo was always the type to rush in and take action as soon as he learned that his friends were in danger, so he completely missed that bluff. Not to mention how he missed how Ulquiorra implied that Inoue was his woman when normally he would quickly deny such a claim, or how he failed to show any surprise that those two Espadas were an item.

“I’m the one who hurt Grimmjow, so if you want to take your revenge, take it out on me!” Ichigo said as he pulled his Hollow mask back on. “I’m not gonna let you hurt Inoue.”

“I see we now have an understanding.”

Ichigo still hadn’t pulled out the whole mask when Ulquiorra suddenly darted towards him and struck down his sword in a way that made Ichigo wondered if he was trying to cut him down in the same places that he had hurt Grimmjow.

Somehow Ichigo believed it was the first time he ever had to fight someone whose reason for fighting was the same as his own – to protect their loved ones. It was a shame that they had to stand on a different side in the war, since the man couldn’t be all that evil. Still, there were no other options. Perhaps that was where the saying hate the war but not the soldiers came in.

Ichigo had been mostly on defensive, blocking all of Ulquiorra’s attacks, but he knew he would have to fight back if he wanted to win. With the thought, Ichigo shot Getsuga Tenshō to buy himself a little time to don the mask so he could match with Ulquiorra's incredibly high speed movement.

After the mask was on, Ichigo fired another shot of Getsuga Tenshō that became significantly stronger. Ulquiorra dodged the energy shots before he flew straight up into the sky. Although he couldn’t tell what the Cuarta Espada was planning, Ichigo still followed suit as he couldn’t afford to let Ulquiorra get away and carry out his earlier threat.

The Cuarta Espada cut the sky with his zanpakutō, creating a black hole big enough for the man to move past. Ichigo blinked in surprise as he saw the real night sky over the fake blue sky of Las Noches, but he ignored it once he spotted Ulquiorra standing on a white pillar above what appeared to be Las Noches’s dome roof.

Without further ado, Ulquiorra pointed his blade at Ichigo before he said, “Enclose, Murciélago.”

Green rain was falling on Ichigo’s body at the moment of Ulquiorra’s release. Ulquiorra’s mask grew into a full helmet in a different shape. His hair and fingernails also grew longer. However, the most prominent change was how he attained that big pair of bat wings, and how his Arrancar’s uniform changed to look more like a robe. From the look in those green eyes, the Shinigami could easily tell that his opponent wouldn’t hold anything back in order to finish him off as soon as possible.

Ulquiorra didn’t disappoint when he quickly called forth a green javelin and Sonído right in front of him before he struck down, aiming at Ichigo’s neck. It was purely his instinct that allowed Ichigo to dodge that fatal blow.

Ichigo fired Getsuga Tenshō at Ulquiorra to retaliate, but Ulquiorra caught the shot with his bare hand before he returned Ichigo’s favor with a black Cero that seemed to be even more powerful than the green Cero he shot at Ichigo previously when he came to Grimmjow’s rescue.

Knowing that his best attack when he had his Hollow mask on was using his cero, Ichigo charged one up between his two horns and then fired it at Ulquiorra, who fired another black Cero to counter it.

The collision of the blast brought down the pillar that Ulquiorra had stood on earlier, while both parties remained mostly on their grounds.

Having witnessed Ichigo’s level of power, Ulquiorra could see why the human managed to defeat Grimmjow earlier. Since Ichigo’s level of reiatsu clearly exceeded Ulquiorra’s own, or at least the Cero was.

The Substitute Shinigami had become much stronger during those few months, but Ulquiorra wouldn’t simply allow him to have a victory so easily.

“I see you’ve become rather strong,” Ulquiorra commented. “However, you still need to be stronger if you plan to defeat me. Resurrección Segunda Etapa!”

Ichigo’s eyes widened under the Hollow mask. He never knew an Arrancar could have a second release stage, but the crazy level of reiatsu that rose with such a command, and the way the Espada’s changed his form once again. This time his Hollow mask turned from a helmet into a pair of bat ears. While his wings were still there, his Arrancar attire was replaced with black fur on the forearms and lower body. Without the attire to cover it, his long black tail could be seen along with the Hollow hole in Ulquiorra’s bare chest, which became larger and had a mark that looked as though some black blood was gushing out of it. His irises turned from green to yellow while the sclera turned green instead, while the green tear marks he always had on his face became larger in size and changed their colors to black.

He then flies at Ichigo in full force, but Ichigo stood his ground while he reflected Ulquiorra’s attack with his blade. Ulquiorra whipped his tail at Ichigo but Ichigo was still able to dodge it somehow. Frustrated, the Cuarta Espada called forth a spear-like green energy into his hand before he jumped back and then launched it at Ichigo.

Not going to stand there and being a sitting duck, Ichigo dodged so that the spear landed somewhere behind him and caused some huge explosion.

“Shit! That’s dangerous,” Ichigo exclaimed.

“Indeed it is,” Ulquiorra agreed, yet he summoned yet another spear, “which is why I prefer not to use my Lanza del Relámpago in close range, but if you’re going to keep dodging, then so be it!”

With that said, Ulquiorra reappeared right in front of Grimmjow using his Sonído and then attempted to stab Ichigo with the spear. However, Ichigo caught it with his bare hand.

“Are you out of your mind?” Ichigo asked. The level of the Visored’s spiritual increased once again for no apparent reason. However, before he could get any response from the Espada, the energy spear he was holding suddenly exploded between the two of them.

The explosion blew off Ulquiorra’s right arm and shattered a part of Ichigo’s mask. Ulquiorra winced slightly at the loss of his organ, but he quickly generated it back with his power. Meanwhile Ichigo touched his broken mask and summoned a new one to replace it.

It always taxed his energy whenever he needed to regenerate any organ, so Ulquiorra knew he only had a limited time left to try to finish the battle. Therefore, he summoned yet another black Cero and fired it at Ichigo who still appeared to be at his top form despite everything.

Ichigo shot his own crimson Cero in return, and it was strong enough to blow through Ulquiorra’s Cero and reached to the Espada. The blast was strong enough to send Ulquiorra flying backward into one pillar, breaking it down as a result. However, Ulquiorra got back to his feet and formed another Lanza del Relámpago in his hand before he flew over to Ichigo. If his observation was correct, Ichigo’s weakness lay in his mask, so should he be able to break it, he might gain some advantage in the battle.

Once he was right in front of Ichigo, he threw the green energy-made lance at the Visored. As he already expected, Ichigo caught the lance before it could hit, so he used the moment that Ichigo had his attention on that lance to charge up another black Cero and shot it at the man’s face in a point blank range.

Another blast went off between the two of them, and Ulquiorra barely flew away from the explosion range in time. He landed down on top of one pillar and took a deep breath as his body began to heal itself from the severe burn on his arm that was caused by the earlier blast.

Ichigo’s spiritual presence could no longer be sensed, but the Cuarta Espada still kept his eyes on the cloud of dust that was caused by the explosive. Although he doubted anyone would be able to survive the blast from a point-blank range, he wouldn’t be sure until the dust faded and he saw his enemy’s lifeless body on the ground.

Everything had gone completely quiet for exactly two seconds, before the dust was blown off by a black spiritual energy to reveal Ichigo standing tall in a long black coat. His mask had either been shattered or removed, while his zanpakutō had transformed into a long black blade while the chain at the end of the sword wrapped up around Ichigo’s arm, making it looked as though the zanpakutō had become an extension of his arm.

The transformation surprised Ulquiorra to a certain degree, but what was more shocking was possibly the fact that he still couldn’t detect any trace of Ichigo’s spiritual pressure even when they were standing that close to each other.

“Tensa Zangetsu,” Ichigo finished calmly. “Originally, I don’t plan to use this form on anyone but Aizen, but it looks like it can’t be helped after all. Anyway, this ends now, Ulquiorra. Getsuga Tenshō!”

With that said, Ichigo shot out a black energy from his blade. Although Ulquiorra still failed to detect the level of spiritual energy that was coming towards him, he could still feel it deep down that it would be much stronger than any other blast that he had faced.

Ulquiorra summoned yet another black Cero to counter it; however, the Cero was consumed into that dark energy once they collided and the wave of black energy was still coming towards him.

The blast sent Ulquiorra flying into a pillar behind him, making it crack with the impact. Blood splashed out of the Cuarta Espada’s chest as his body landed on the ground. Ulquiorra felt as if all of the bones in his bodies had been broken by the blast and then the crash, and it was probably what really happened, since his own spiritual power had dropped dramatically to the point that he had turned back into his sealed Arrancar form.

At that rate, he might not be able to regenerate.

A couple of footsteps were heard before the Substitute Shinigami appeared at the ruin. He had already been back to his shikai form in which his orange hair went back to its original length and his zanpakutō was no longer a part of his arm.

Although he was lying in a pool of his own blood, Ulquiorra still refused to admit defeat, since he couldn’t take that fact that he lost to a mere human who pretended to be a Shinigami and copied a power of a Hollow. It made him feel very degraded. Besides, if he lost then, Kurosaki Ichigo would get back down to that pillar and found Grimmjow with the woman.

Even though it was hard for him to even breathe without hurting himself, Ulquiorra lifted his finger and pointed it to Ichigo’s direction. Using the last brink of spiritual energy he still possessed, he charged up a green Cero. It took much longer than normal to summon that power, but it appeared he was still able to do so, even though it might be at the expense of his life.

Ichigo’s eyes widened once he realized what Ulquiorra was doing. Whether Ichigo understood the cost of that last Cero and decided to honor it by taking it head on or simply didn’t have enough time to react and had to take the hit was unclear to Ulquiorra. However, even after a direct hit from the cero, Ichigo still stood there without any damage aside from a burn on his arm since he instinctively raised it up to block the cero.

Ichigo would have asked Ulquiorra why the man would throw his life away when the battle had already been as good as over, but he believed he had already known why.

Bowing his head slightly at the Espada, Ichigo said, “I’m sorry, Ulquiorra, but I can’t afford to lose either.”

However, instead of delivering a final blow to finish Ulquiorra off, Ichigo turned around, walked two steps then flash-stepped away, possibly back down the roof to find the woman he came to rescue, leaving Ulquiorra alone in the dark.

Coughing up blood while he tried to breathe, Ulquiorra only hoped the woman would have enough sense not to heal Grimmjow to his full health, or it meant that the man would try to have another fight with Kurosaki Ichigo, and everything he had done so far would be all for nothing.

He wasn’t afraid to die. After all, he had always believed that dying would be better than to continue living without any purposes. Moreover, ever since he joined Aizen’s army, he always wondered what it would be after Arrancars were killed. Would they simply fade into nothingness? Will they be sent to hell? Or will their souls be given another chance in Soul Society?

He supposed he would find out in just a moment.

The desert had somehow become tremendously cold as Ulquiorra lay there on the roof, feeling that the sky was getting darker and darker and the moon was also fading from his sight. Was that what it was like to die? He didn’t really know. He simply knew that when his conscious was fading, Grimmjow’s face flashed into his mind along with other pictures of the memories they had shared. Somehow he felt warm even though everything was getting colder around him.

“Thank you, Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra mouthed. “Now I think I know what a heart is.”

And then everything went completely black.


	18. Chapter 18

The sky was getting darker as the artificial sun was moving toward the horizon. Dust and smoked filled the area around many towers that had collapsed. The normally white sand was dyed red with the blood that had been splattered in the battlefield. Many bodies lay lifelessly on the ground.

Las Noches, which was once perceived as an unbreakable stronghold, had fallen.

A huge hole tore through the sky, as a big group of Shinigami made its way into the fallen fortress. Leading the group was a Shinigami with blue-haired and gold teeth, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Although he was a captain, he opted to wear a white lab gown instead of his captain robe.

Once he got down to the ground, he dug inside his pocket for a pair of latex gloves. He later turned around towards his subordinates.

“Alright, we have wasted more than enough time to help Urahara Kisuke move Karakura Town back in its place, so let’s get to work before that fake sun goes down,” he said. “Scatter around and search for all Arrancars whether they’re dead or alive. If they’re dead, embalm them and take the bodies to the lab to dissect. If they’re alive, make sure you capture them and don’t harm them much. Life specimens are always good for testing.”

“Yes, sir!”

As all Shinigami were about to turn around and moved to different directions so they could do as their captain order, Mayuri called, “Not you, Nemu. I need you to help me with that giant over there.”

As he said ‘giant’, Mayuri pointed toward the massive body that was Yammy Llargo in his Resurrección form.

“It would take a lot of embalming fluid if we want to preserve a body of that size and not to mention he’s too big to be put into the lab anyway, so let’s dissect and get rid of him before the body decomposes,” said the mad scientist.

“Yes, Mayuri-sama,” Nemu nodded as she rolled her sleeves up, getting ready to open up Yammy’s lifeless body. “I shall begin the procedure at once.”

With that said, Nemu changed her hand into a chainsaw and began the cutting. Meanwhile, Mayuri stepped aside to watch from a safe distance from all the bloody mess that was caused by the chainsaw.

“Seriously,” he began, “I would rather cut up either Aizen Sōsuke or Kurosaki Ichigo to see what they are made of, but they just had to take that traitor back to be judged by those old fools in the Chamber 46 and that Substitute Shinigami had the nerve to lose all of his spiritual power before I had a chance to dissect him. And what’s with all Shinigami and Visored having survived? I’d expected that at least a couple of them would die, so I could run a few tests on them as well. What a shame! Now I’m only left with these dead Arrancars. I swear nobody sees the value of science anymore. Oh, well, at least this one was an Espadas. I’d see if I could find and test on all ten of them.”

After he was done with his little ranting, Mayuri rolled his yellow eyes and moved back to begin dissecting his first specimen. It looked to him like he would have to stay in Hueco Mundo for quite a while to label all specimens and conduct all freaky tests on them.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the mad scientist and his subordinates, one of his potential test subjects had sneaked out of the great wall of Las Noches during the time all Shinigami that invaded into Hueco Mundo left Las Noches unguarded and went out to Karakura Town to back up their comrades in a war against Aizen.

Grimmjow had been more than a little surprised to have regained his consciousness on top of one giant pillar. All the wounds that had been inflicted upon him earlier had already been healed and even the scar he had chosen to keep on his chest was also removed. The only evident that indicated that he had indeed been in a battle against Kurosaki Ichigo was how his spiritual pressure didn’t quite reach to the level that it had been before and his zanpakutō was still pretty much broken.

He could hear someone, possibly Shinigami, talking about how Aizen was defeated and how they needed to go back to the human world to finish some mission before they would come back to run some researches on Arrancars corpses before all of their presences all disappeared right afterward.

Grimmjow gingerly stood up only to see many smokes and fires going on around Las Noches, and he could even see some dead bodies lying around in the desert, the most prominent one being of Yammy. No trace of Shinigami could be detected, but what Grimmjow saw confirmed on what he overheard earlier – that Las Noches was no more.

Once that fact sunk into him, Grimmjow frantically searched for Ulquiorra’s spiritual presence, as he knew that for someone who had been as loyal to Aizen as Ulquiorra, there would be no way for the man to allow those Shinigami to take down Las Noches when he was still alive.

After a short moment that seemed to be forever, Grimmjow finally detected a faint presence that was similar to the Cuarta Espada’s. That trace of spiritual presence came from somewhere at the roof, so Grimmjow gathered his strength and moved up to the dome with Sonído.

It was as if he was having a déjà vu when he went to the top and found a lot of rubble scattering on top of the roof as some pillars had collapsed. Since he couldn’t see Ulquiorra anywhere, he tried to locate the other Espada by his presence, and he had to hold his breath when he followed the trace to one fallen pillar and saw someone lying there in a pool of blood.

Grimmjow ran there and dropped to his knees when he saw that the body was actually Ulquiorra’s. He reached his hand out to feel the man’s pulse, but he halted slightly before he actually touched him as if he was afraid of what he would find. Holding his breath, he finally pressed two fingers to the side of Ulquiorra’s neck then sighed in relief when he felt soft pulses under his fingers.

The Sexta Espada quickly searched for any injuries on Ulquiorra’s body only to find none, which made him curious as to why there was that much blood on the ground beneath Ulquiorra’s unconscious form. However, Grimmjow decided that it didn’t matter what happened as long as Ulquiorra was still alive.

Grimmjow looked at their surrounding once again, and decided that it would be best to move Ulquiorra to somewhere safer. Although Las Noches's medical hub might sound as a good idea, Grimmjow didn’t think there were any souls there after the Shinigami's invasion, and he didn’t think it was a good idea to stick around in Las Noches when the Shinigami could come back at any time, and even if they did not, there were chances that some Hollows might come to the palace in order to feast on the death. Although he wasn’t afraid of fighting them off, he didn’t think it would be the wisest thing to do when he wasn’t at his top form and had Ulquiorra to protect.

“We’ve gotta get outta here,” Grimmjow decided.

And thus, he carefully lifted Ulquiorra’s unconscious form and carried the man on his shoulder before he slowly made his way down from the roof and then headed away from Las Noches, constantly looking back to make sure that their tract had been removed from the sand so that they wouldn’t be discovered by any enemies.

It was impossible to tell how much time he had spent wandering in the desert, but soon he decided that he had got them far enough from Las Noches, he used some of the spiritual energy he had gradually regained to blow a hole into the sand and opened a pathway to the forest of Menos which was located underneath the desert.

When he got into the forest of Menos, he scanned the area for threats and once he was sure there wasn’t any, he made his way to the nearest cave then gently placed Ulquiorra’s body down on the ground before he checked the man’s breathing again. Once he was certain that the Cuarta Espada was still alive, he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief.

“Don’t you fucking dare die on me, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow demanded, torn between the urge to grab Ulquiorra’s shoulders and shake the man awake and the fear that any unnecessary touch would send the man closer to the brink of death. “I didn’t lock you away in Caja Negación so that you would come out and get yourself beaten to death.”

Although he wished there was something more he could do, it was beyond his capability. He was not Inoue Orihime, so he didn’t have that godlike ability to heal anything, much less someone who was at the verge of death. And with that woman being rescued and the Shinigami taking over Las Noches, all he could do was sitting there and praying that Ulquiorra would come to soon.

“Well, I’d never cared if anybody should die before, so good job making me worried,” Grimmjow grumbled while he took off his jacket and rolled it before he used it as a makeshift pillow and put it under Ulquiorra’s head, hoping to make the man lay more comfortably. “How the hell did you manage to get yourself in this state when you’ve got a regenerating power anyway?”

Surely enough his question went unheard. However, despite the attitude he had put on, anxiety still reflected in his azure eyes.

“Seriously, don’t die on me now,” he said, much softer this time. “There are tons of things we still haven’t discussed.”

Grimmjow sighed. His worried eyes still hadn’t left Ulquiorra’s unconscious form since he laid the man there. He still couldn’t quite understand how he had come to care so much about the man when not so long ago he still hated Ulquiorra with passion and would have laughed his ass off should the man ever be defeat by anyone.

It was strange how much things could change in such a short period. Or perhaps it was him who had changed.

* * *

Without any time telling device, it was difficult for Grimmjow to tell exactly how much time had passed since Las Noches was seized. He only knew that he had dozed off for a few of times due to fatigue, and even so, he would wake up in a start not too soon afterward as his subconscious mind was filled with anxiety.

After he woke up from yet another involuntary nap, Grimmjow moved over to where Ulquiorra lay unconscious to make sure that the man’s condition hadn’t gone worst while he fell asleep. The Cuarta Espada might be blessed with power of regeneration, but said power also had its limit, or otherwise he would have already been awake by then.

“Damn, you still look pale. Not that you’re not always pale anyway,” Grimmjow mused as gingerly brushed a strand of hair away from Ulquiorra’s face. “Maybe I should sneak into the living world, kidnap that woman again, and force her to heal you.”

The Sexta Espada had contemplated carrying out that plan for quite some time already, but in the end, he always decided against it, knowing that he couldn’t risk leaving Ulquiorra alone in Hueco Mundo in such a condition, nor could he risk them being found by one of the Shinigami. The truth was he didn’t mind dying if it were only himself, but it was a different story when Ulquiorra was also involved.

“Shit! I’ve really gone soft, haven’t I?” he wondered. “And to top that off, I’m talking to myself like I’ve gone totally insane.”

Sighing, Grimmjow stood up.

“Oh, well, whatever,” he said. “I’ll go look around for some food before I really go crazy.”

With that, Grimmjow left, not forgetting to close the cave’s entrance with some huge rocks to make sure nothing could get to Ulquiorra while he was gone.

***

Grimmjow didn’t expect that when he returned to the cave, carrying a dead Huge Hollow that he intended to cook for dinner, the rocks that he had strategically placed to protect the cave would have been gone.

“What the fuck?” Grimmjow exclaimed, dropping the Hollow to the ground. His heart dropped as he rushed inside to check up on his lover.

Unlike how he left it, the cavern filled with complete darkness that even though Grimmjow was quite capable of seeing in the dark, he still had problems finding his way around. Although he didn’t sense any intruder’s presence, he couldn’t feel Ulquiorra’s presence either, and that was definitely not a good sign.

Just as his eyes were about to be used to the complete darkness, he was dazzled by a flash of red that suddenly flared in the middle of the room before it went flying towards him. His instinct told him to dodge and prepare his own counterattack, so he charged up his Cero and blindly aimed at the direction he believed his enemy was, but he missed his target as he tripped over something in the cave while he dodged what appeared to be a Bala.

Grimmjow’s Cero went flying to the roof, blowing it open and allowing some light from the outside to shine in just enough for him to see, and he had to blink in surprise when he saw his attacker.

“Ulquiorra? What the hell?”

“Oh, it’s you,” Ulquiorra said. Even after he saw that it was Grimmjow, Ulquiorra still let one last Bala flew towards the man.

Grimmjow dodged. Although relief had washed over him, he just couldn’t help asking, “Oi, is that all you’ve got to say – ‘oh, it’s you’? And what the fuck was with that last Bala? Are you trying to kill me or something?”

Grimmjow didn’t even have time to blink when Ulquiorra suddenly moved towards him, using a Sonído. Then the Sexta Espada could only blink in surprise when Ulquiorra reached out to touch his chin and not so gently turned it left and right to inspect his face. It appeared the stoic Espada was satisfied with what he saw because he then let go of Grimmjow’s face so he could feel up Grimmjow’s torso.

“Quite a little forward today, aren’t we?” Grimmjow commented, still not quite getting what Ulquiorra was trying to do. “Not that I’m complaining, but are you sure nothing’s wrong with your head?”

Ulquiorra didn’t respond right away, but simply rest his hand on Grimmjow’s chest for a moment longer as he closed his eyes and sighed.

Grimmjow furrowed his brows. “Um? Ulquiorra?”

Ulquiorra opened his green eyes, and Grimmjow could see rage flaring behind them as Ulquiorra suddenly lifted his hand up and slapped him across the face so hard that Grimmjow could hear his ear ringing.

“What the fuck was that for?” Grimmjow asked, rubbing his cheek. That guy certainly knew how to hit, and he most definitely didn’t hold back when he did it. “That ain’t how you’re supposed to treat your lover.”

“Then perhaps I should greet you with a kiss then lock you away in a Caja Negación, because that’s exactly how you’re supposed to treat your lover,” Ulquiorra returned, glaring venomously at Grimmjow.

“I was just trying to protect you!”

“Protect me?” Ulquiorra asked, disbelieved. “For all we know, Caja Negación is capable of locking someone in there for all eternity, so tell me again how exactly is putting me in that godforsaken realm supposed to protect me? Just admit it, Grimmjow, you only did so because you want to make sure I wouldn’t lay a hand on your prey!”

Although he should have just apologized and ended the quarrel there, Grimmjow shouted back despite himself, “I didn’t! Besides, you’re already out here now anyway, so why complaining?”

“Why can’t I complain? You don’t know what it was like inside that thing. And not to mention after you went through all of those troubles, you couldn’t even defeat him. You would’ve already been dead if I didn’t break out of there and got to you in time.”

“You what?” Grimmjow asked, not quite believing in his ears. After everything he had done to prevent Ulquiorra from fighting Kurosaki Ichigo, it would seem he was the reason those two had to cross paths in the first place. Grimmjow almost felt guilty about it, but then another thought fueled his anger before he could think about apologizing. “Wait! So you’re saying that it’s a bad thing that I tried to protect you, but it’s fine for you to protect me? What’s the hell is with that logic?”

“I could say the same to you, Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra said, solemnly. “And even if I could convince myself that you locked me away to protect me, I still couldn’t fathom what made you believe even for a second that you were able to do so?”

“The fact that I was the one who dragged your ass out to safety, for a start,” Grimmjow returned, feeling his fury rising. Ulquiorra might be his lover, and the man might have a higher rank than him in the army, but it didn’t give him any right to look down on his ability.

“Well, I didn’t ask you to.”

“So you expect me to just leave you there to be dissected by some crazy freak of a Shinigami?” Grimmjow shouted back. “And what the fuck is with you always thinking of yourself as superior to me in all aspects, anyway? Because Aizen dubbed you as Cuarta Espada? That number doesn’t mean any shit!”

“You said it meant nothing, yet you had killed Luppi to have a number back on you.”

“That’s completely irrelevant!” Grimmjow yelled. “The point is you’ve never considered me as an equal, have you? You never really give any shit about me. You started this relationship out of curiosity, and then you just played along because you thought that was an appropriate reaction. We don’t even have to go so far as to talk about love and all those cheesy stuff people talk about. The truth is you never really want me, do you? You only agreed to it because I told you that I wanted you and you pitied me – that’s all.”

After he had spoke his mind, Grimmjow was surprised by how many things he had kept bottling up inside of him. He wasn’t a type to repress his feelings. He normally expressed himself loud and clear without any fear of consequence. However, for some reasons, he never told Ulquiorra about the things that troubled him about their relationship until then, and he wondered why.

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows.

“Pity? Is that what you always think it is? Since when did I impress you as a type to waste my time to pity something?”

“Oh, yes, you’ll just call it them trash and cast them aside, that what you’d do. God knows why you’ve tolerated this relationship for so long.”

“You think I’ve tolerated it? I’m sorry to burst your bubble, Grimmjow, but if I don’t want to do anything, I won’t put up with it. If I find no point in having a relationship with you, I would never bother to continue. It would be much easier to end it.”

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. “Well, you can say whatever you want, but that ain’t convincing at all.”

“Fine! How should I prove my point to you, then?” It was easy to see that anger was burning in those emerald pools of Ulquiorra’s eyes. “Do I have to push you down and take you right here, right now until you beg me to stop to prove that I want you? Will that make you happy?”

By that time, Grimmjow already saw red with fury that he failed to put any thought into Ulquiorra’s words so he simply took it on as one challenge.

“Yeah, that’d be a start, but I doubt you’d be able to do it.”

The truth was Grimmjow had always wondered why Ulquiorra had never showed even a slight interest in taking him. It wasn’t as if he was anticipating or not anticipating it, but normally Ulquiorra would at least offer to do whatever Grimmjow had showed him in bed to Grimmjow in return that Grimmjow had made up his mind to agree to it should Ulquiorra ever express any interest in topping him, since he already decided he wanted all of that man in every way he could possibly have him. However, Ulquiorra never did, and it was why Grimmjow doubted whether Ulquiorra was only accommodating his needs without actually wanting him at all.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. “Very well, then, don’t complain about it later.”

With that said, Ulquiorra pulled Grimmjow’s head down and kissed him with enough force to bruise his lips.

It was then that Grimmjow realized what he had put himself into and how dead serious his partner was. Even so, Grimmjow didn’t plan to back out. It might not be clear for him whether Ulquiorra really wanted him or simply accepted the challenge out of anger, but in any case, the man would have to fight for it.

With the resolve, Grimmjow responded in kind then pushed Ulquiorra back against the cave wall as their tongues fought for dominance. Ulquiorra didn’t allow himself to be caught in that position for too long before he grabbed a handful of Grimmjow’s hair and yanked it back to break the fierce kiss. After that, he used his hand and body to push hard against Grimmjow so their position was flipped, and Grimmjow was now the one who had his back against the wall.

Ulquiorra dove in for another hard kiss. This time Grimmjow could taste some blood, though he wasn’t quite sure if it was his partner’s or his own, and the sensation sent a strange thrill down Grimmjow’s spine.

Grimmjow pushed Ulquiorra back slightly to gain some space between them so he could unzip Ulquiorra’s jacket and pull it off the man’s body. Taking the chance that Ulquiorra released his grips on him to take off the jacket, Grimmjow pushed the shorter man back towards another side of the cave.

He then broke the kiss so he could use his mouth to suck at a certain spot on Ulquiorra’s neck that always made the man tremble with pleasure. His hands also stroked firmly along Ulquiorra’s exposed chest to play with the man’s erect nipples, earning him a sharp gasp, before he moved them backward and down toward Ulquiorra’s backside.

Ulquiorra’s green eyes became wide once he felt Grimmjow’s hand on his rear. He had allowed passion to overtake him to the point that he almost forgot what his aim was at the start.

Catching Grimmjow’s wrists, Ulquiorra tackled the blue-haired man down to the ground. His green eyes were darkened as he pressed the man down with his full strength while still seizing the man’s wrists in his iron grips.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he leaned down and bit Grimmjow’s earlobe once before he whispered heatedly into the man’s ear, “I said I would take you this time, didn’t I?”

Grimmjow somehow felt his manhood twitched in anticipation. He didn’t mind being on the receiving end of Ulquiorra’s passion, if it would prove that Ulquiorra desired him to a certain degree, but he still had some doubts.

“Right. So just do it. If you can actually get hard, that is,” Grimmjow spit back.

Grimmjow wasn’t sure if it was actually a chuckle he heard from his partner when the man ground his crotch against Grimmjow’s own, proving to him that what the blue-eyed Espada said was not the problem and giving the man a tingling feeling at the same time.

The Sexta Espada let out a low purr as his lover made a trail of urgent kisses and bites down his neck to his shoulder and then down to his collarbone as if he was searching for Grimmjow’s pleasure point. He would say that Ulquiorra was quite rough with his moves, but Grimmjow wouldn’t stop him at that point. Instead, he simply urged the man on by raking his fingers into the man’s hair. After all, he had already made up his mind to take all Ulquiorra was planning to give.

Taking Grimmjow’s lack of struggling as a good sign, Ulquiorra made his way down to Grimmjow’s chest with alternations of his lips, tongue and teeth. His left hand made a firm stroke down Grimmjow torso and stopped just above his lover’s groin before it moved back up and then repeated while his right was fumbling on the tie of Grimmjow’s hakama. The sensation was driving him crazy, that Grimmjow decided to take the matter to his own hands and helped Ulquiorra rid off the garments that stood between them.

Ulquiorra took a moment to stare at his lover’s exposed flesh. While it wasn’t the first time they touched each other, it was the first time that he had actually taken the lead, so he wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

Grimmjow purred when Ulquiorra began stroking along his engorged length with one hand, while massaging around his opening with another. He hissed softly when he felt Ulquiorra’s finger inside of him, but Ulquiorra was quick to distract him from that uncomfortable feeling by increasing the speed of his stroke on Grimmjow’s hardened member.

Although he was quite distracted by the amount of pleasure that was building up, Grimmjow still knew what was going to come next, and he also knew that with that level of preparation from Ulquiorra’s inexperience hand, it was definitely going to hurt - a lot, but he wouldn’t even begin to pretend to care. He wasn’t a masochist, but a little pain wouldn’t kill him. What might kill him, however, was if Ulquiorra decided to stop and leave him high and dry.

Ulquiorra certainly didn’t keep his lover waiting long. Grimmjow felt something much larger than Ulquiorra’s finger prodding at his entrance, and he did his best to relax without forgetting to brace himself for the pain to come. Even so, Grimmjow still clawed into Ulquiorra’s forearms when Ulquiorra entered. Ulquiorra winced but voiced no complaint. He even kept himself still, giving Grimmjow a moment to adjust. Biting down the pain, Grimmjow took a deep breath in order to relax his muscle so that neither of them would get even more hurt than they already got.

Taking the fact that Grimmjow finally released his claw from his arms as a signal that it was fine for him to move, Ulquiorra began to move himself slowly back and forth then gradually increase his depth and speed. And soon afterward, Grimmjow also bucked his hips to meet with Ulquiorra’s every thrust.

All sighs and moans echoed in the cave as the two Espadas rocked themselves against one another with abandon. It didn’t take long for both pleasure and pain to weave together and build up into a strange sense of euphoria, then they came together in a mind-blowing climax, leaving them both feeling spent, yet fulfilled.

* * *

Grimmjow lay prone on the ground, catching his breath. He wouldn’t even bother to pretend that Ulquiorra’s rough treatment didn’t hurt him since all the blood, the bruises and the teeth marks on his body would suggest otherwise. Even so, he couldn’t say that he wasn’t satisfied.

Having always thought of himself as a king, Grimmjow never imagined that there would be a day when he would ever allow anyone to top him or touch him in such a rough manner, yet it seemed Ulquiorra was always a special case. And after everything that had been said and done, he still wasn’t sure if it could prove anything other than what he had already suspected – that Ulquiorra had a raw, violent side that he tried to suppress but didn’t quite succeed.

Having finally calmed down a little, Grimmjow decided that he didn’t regret it. After all, it wasn’t every day that Ulquiorra would display that much emotion, and for the man to lose his stoic mask and blow his fuse over something, it meant that he had to care a lot about the subject.

He felt a cool finger tracing his cheek where it was hit earlier. The touch felt somewhat soothing against the throbbing he began to feel on his face. Grimmjow turned his head slightly to see that Ulquiorra was looking at him with an undecipherable expression. Those green eyes, however, didn’t look as dead and unfeeling as they usually were in the past.

“I’m sorry,” Ulquiorra said as their eyes met. “It must have hurt.”

It would be a blatant lie to say that it didn’t, especially when he suspected the area might have turned black and blue already, so he decided to reply with, “Just a little.”

There was a huge pause before the Cuarta Espada said softly, “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Grimmjow replied with a shrug. “I ain’t gonna break that easily. Besides, I kinda pissed you off and got myself into this.”

“Even so, I still shouldn’t have used violence.”

Ulquiorra really looked like he regretted his action, but to be completely honest, Grimmjow didn’t really mind it that much. They had both lost their cool, and considering their respective records of violence, it was more surprising that the fight didn’t get nastier. After all, it wasn’t as if they were the gentlest souls in the universe.

“Yeah, well, I always know you’re a sadist,” the Sexta Espada commented. “And it’s not like I couldn’t put up a fight.”

Ulquiorra looked away for a moment before he remarked, “You could, but that was beside the point. The point is I complained that you mistreated me, yet I ended up doing the same, if not worse.”

Grimmjow nodded.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it, but if you really feel guilty, then don’t do it again,” said the Sexta Espada. “Though I’ve gotta say it was the first time you showed me that much emotion since we knew each other, and I’m kinda glad that you did. Not that I enjoyed being hit, but at least it meant that you care enough about me that you couldn’t just stay indifference.”

Grimmjow’s words reminded Ulquiorra of the fight they had earlier and about some issues that his lover had about their relationship but had never brought up to him before. Perhaps it was because Grimmjow was still holding on to what Ulquiorra had told him earlier – that he still couldn’t see the Sexta Espada as a lover yet – when Ulquiorra had already viewed him as one.

Perhaps it was his fault that he never made his feelings clear to Grimmjow and simply assumed that they had an understanding. How could he have expected that Grimmjow would miraculously understand him, when he never made an effort to explain himself?

“I do care about you, Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra remarked solemnly. “I won’t deny that I started a relationship with you out of curiosity, but I could easily end it and walk away at any time I wanted. I don’t have enough time to waste on a subject that doesn’t interest me. As for me tolerating all this, I wouldn’t call it that. Indeed there are times that I have gone out of my ways to do something, but it’s not because I’m forcing myself. I simply did so because I wanted give my best to you and to this relationship. Is it really that wrong of me to try to do that?”

Grimmjow shook his head. “Not really. No.”

“In the matter of whether I desire you nor not, Grimmjow, I wouldn’t have just laid there and let you do whatever you please if I had not wanted to,” Ulquiorra noted. “You might have been under an impression that I put up with it for the sake of learning new things about sex, but if that was the case, once was more than enough. And for the matter of topping you, it wasn’t as if I was never interested. I have an urge to dominate you from time to time, but I felt it would be best if I left it just as that – an urge.”

“Why?” Grimmjow wondered.

“Why?” Ulquiorra repeated the question as he traced his fingertip on the bruise he left on Grimmjow’s wrists. “As you have experienced first hand, bats can be quite aggressive in their mating; and I’d prefer not to hurt you. Besides, I had a feeling that you’d prefer being dominant over being submissive.”

Grimmjow sighed.

“It’d be a lie if I said you were wrong,” he admitted, “but I did say I wanted to be treated as an equal, so it wouldn’t be right that you’re the only one who’s yielding to my wish. I should do the same in return, too. That’s why you shouldn’t hold yourself back with me. If you want something, just say it. If it’s within my ability, I’d give it to you. If we keep suppressing ourselves, it wouldn’t work in the long run.”

“I see,” Ulquiorra nodded. “I suppose there’s still much for me to learn.”

“I won’t disagree with that.”

The Cuarta Espada sighed.

“Anyway, that much is the depth of my feeling. I don’t know if that’s equivalent to what humans dub as love, but if the word would give you some peace of mind, I can say it to you.”

Grimmjow shook his head.

“Nah, you don’t have to,” he replied. “Those human words have no real meaning to us anyway. It’s your feeling that really counts to me.”

With that said, Grimmjow pulled Ulquiorra down so that the man lay down in his arm. Silence hung in the air for a long moment, yet neither of them felt any urge to break it. After all, there was comfort in that silence.

“Anyway, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow eventually asked, staring into Hueco Mundo clear moonlit sky. “What do you plan to do from now on? I mean, I heard some Shinigami saying that Aizen was defeated and captured, and now that Las Noches has fallen, Hueco Mundo would soon become a chaotic place like it used to be in the past.”

Ulquiorra sighed and furrowed his brows.

“Somehow, I’m not surprised to hear this development,” the Cuarta Espada commented. “Though I don’t know what we could do except for accepting that fact, and perhaps finding somewhere that isn’t too chaotic to live.”

Grimmjow tilted his head so he could look into his lover’s eyes. He had thought that Ulquiorra was very loyal to Aizen, and that the man would at least want to go to Soul Society to try to rescue their boss should the man be alive after being captured or to avenge the man should he be given a death sentence.

“You’re not planning to go to Soul Society and try to rescue or avenge Aizen?”

Ulquiorra turned to look at Grimmjow for a moment before he asked, “Will you go with me if that is what I’m planning to do?”

“Of course, I will,” Grimmjow replied without thinking. “There’s no way I’m gonna let you go there by yourself.”

Ulquiorra nodded.

“That’s why I wouldn’t go,” said the Cuarta Espada. “I’m grateful for what Aizen-sama has given me so far, but I suppose having returned from the verge of death changes my perspective on life somewhat. Because when I lay there on the rooftop, believing that it would be the last breath that I took, it wasn’t Aizen-sama that I was thinking of, nor was he the first person that came to my mind when I opened my eyes and found out that I’ve lived.”

Looking at Grimmjow, Ulquiorra continued:

“It was you. And fighting Soul Society now, when even Aizen-sama was defeated, is no more than a suicide attempt. While I’m happy to know that you’re willing to die with me, I would prefer to live with you instead.”

Having heard all those words, and seen the honest look in Ulquiorra’s green eyes made Grimmjow’s heart race. He really felt like kissing Ulquiorra right then, so he cupped the man face with his hand and moved in for a kiss, only to stop just before their lips made contact.

“You won’t regret this choice someday?” Grimmjow wondered.

“I doubt it. Though I must say that it saddens me to think that in the end we are left to wander in Hueco Mundo without any real purpose once again.”

Considering what he knew about Ulquiorra, Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra was telling the truth. The man had spent the most part of his life searching for reasons to be, and without those, he would feel like he had been in the past – an empty meaningless soul.

“Then let me be your purpose in living from now on, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow suggested, “and you’ll be mine as well.”

Ulquiorra didn’t have to take any time to think before he nodded.

“That sounds like a good plan.”

With that said, Ulquiorra closed the small gap that Grimmjow left between their lips in a gentle kiss. Once again, he would have to wander around the endless desert of Hueco Mundo. Just like the time he was still a mere Hollow, he didn’t know what kind of future awaited him along his path. However, this time, he wouldn’t have to face it all alone. Grimmjow would be there with him to experiment that new purpose in life. And somehow he believed the result would turn out to be just fine.


End file.
